By Jerry Jordan, Editor

BROOKLYN, Mich. – The on-again, off-again relationship between NASCAR and RAM trucks, a division of conglomerate automaker Stellantis, has rekindled the flame with RAM announcing it will race its truck in the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series event at Daytona International Speedway.

During a private call with a select group of motorsports media this past week, RAM brand CEO Tim Kuniskis unveiled a new race truck with him behind the wheel during a test session at Darlington Raceway. Kuniskis also oversaw wind tunnel testing and told the media he’s looking for a significant other, so to speak.

“Really, I’m flying with no parachute here,” Kuniskis said. “We don’t have a team. I got a truck. I got the intention. I’m writing a deal with NASCAR. I’m going to Daytona. How am I going to actually do that? What’s my team going to be? I don’t know. We’re looking for a date to the prom right now.”

Kuniskis had a litany of information to release, including news that his plans for a return to the NASCAR world wouldn’t stop with trucks. He said he has every intention of bringing one of Stellantis’s passenger cars back to the NASCAR Cup Series.

“By the way, that wasn’t green screen,” Kuniskis said, in reference to the video of him racing around Darlington. “A lot of people were super mad at me for actually driving that thing on the track, but there’s no way you’re letting me in that thing and not doing it.

“So, you know what else figured? We might as well go back to racing. Might as well go back to America’s motorsports, back to NASCAR first with truck, with the intention to go to Cup after that.”

Kuniskis also said that RAM was bringing the Hemi engine back, along with other trim designs for RAM. The plans are not new and something he said he’d been working on “for a while.” And the truck that was used in the video and unveiled at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday is the actual race truck submitted for approval to the sanctioning body.

For the NASCAR community, the return of RAM at Daytona will mean a fourth original equipment manufacturer (OEM), something NASCAR executives have been teasing for several years. Now, it appears as if it will be a reality.

“We have ongoing dialog with a lot of different OEMs,” John Probst, NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, told members of the NASCAR media. “Obviously, we talk weekly with the ones who are in our sport but we do talk pretty regularly with many other OEMs that are out there. There are a lot of them that are very supportive of what we do and we can rely on them for some troubleshooting now and then, if need be. So, we talk to the OEMs all the time and in this case, you know, RAM, all of them. We’ve had an ongoing dialogue with them for years. And, you know, we’ve gotten to various states of getting ready for them to come back in and you know, sometimes, for whatever reason, it wouldn’t happen. I think in this case, the most recent, the one now that’s coming to fruition, it started in earnest, probably, you know, the end of Q3 beginning of Q4 last year, and then really got into high gear, probably in the December-January time frame.”

As Probst alluded, this is not the first time that RAM or its previous iteration, Dodge, has made plans to return to NASCAR. Dodge unveiled a Cup Series car in Las Vegas in 2012 and then pulled completely out of the sport before 2013 when Penske Racing changed its fleet to Ford. Then, in 2017, Kickin’ the Tires obtained leaked documents and confirmation from multiple industry and NASCAR sources that Fiat, then the parent company of Dodge and RAM was planning a return to NASCAR. A series of corporate changes following the death of Sergio Marchionne, then-CEO of Fiat Chrysler, sidelined those plans.

When asked by Kickin’ the Tires if NASCAR had any ideas or preference on who RAM paired up with in the garage for its “date to the prom,” Phelps was noncommittal.

“I don’t have a preference,” Probst said. “I want him to have a date that he wants to have his picture taken with. I think that is completely a RAM competitive, competition-related thing. We know they are wanting to be very competitive, so I would anticipate them being pretty aggressive and getting a good team lined up in their camp to go, you know, run their banner.”

Probst said he hopes to have a final body submission and approval for the new RAM entry by August 15. Of course, that is providing the truck passes wind tunnel testing. Probst said RAM does have the option to run its own engine package but it is required to have certain other parts per the NASCAR rulebook, including the nose, a hood, front fenders and the tail.

Kuniskis said his goal is to have as many as four to six trucks ready to race at Daytona to be competitive against Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet.

Danica Patrick has thrown her support behind Riley Gaines in the ongoing feud between the former swimmer and Simone Biles over transgender athletes

Danica Patrick has become embroiled in the heated exchange between Riley Gaines and Simone Biles over transgender athletes, ultimately expressing support for the former competitive swimmer.

The clash between Gaines and the celebrated Olympic champion escalated after Gaines took a swipe at the Minnesota State High School League for disabling comments on a social media post celebrating Champlin Park High School’s girls’ softball team’s victory on Friday.

Gaines lashed out at hurtful comments made against the team, which includes a transgender athlete, after their state championship win. Olympic champion Biles fired back in strong defense, posting on X: “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser.

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“You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports more inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category in ALL SPORTS!

“But instead… You bully them…” Biles added, taking a firm stand against Gaines’s approach. “One thing for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!”

In a follow-up post, Biles hit out at outspoken critic Gaines once more, saying: “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”

Gaines has been vocally opposed to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, gaining attention after she tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the 200m freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships.

Gaines labeled the gymnast’s position on the issue as “so disappointing” and Patrick echoed this sentiment, criticizing the “woke mind virus” she believes is rampant in women’s sports.

On Instagram, the ex-race car driver expressed her views: “This issue has a shelf life. I truly believe common sense will prevail. But until then, I am grateful for people like Riley Gaines who are making sure no-one gets away with it.

“Not to mention that fact that she actually lived it. Defending men in women’s sports is the woke mind virus and/or another issue that requires therapy. Either way, it is so irrational.”

Meanwhile, Gaines issued a fresh response to Biles on social media as she posted a video on social media to measure her height, which was proven to be 5ft 5 inches.

Gaines also stood alongside her husband Louis Barker, posting: ” Figured I would whip out a tape measure to settle this debate.

“Wikipedia says I’m 5-foot-9. Simone Biles, yesterday, told me to bully someone my own size and then said: ‘’Ironically, that would be a man.’

“Number one, acknowledging there are differences between men and women, number two, this is my 6-foot-4 husband.”

The sanctioning body remains focused on getting at least four manufacturers back in the Cup Series, which hasn’t happened since 2012. While Dodge is certainly a possibility, especially following news of Ram’s return to the Truck Series, NASCAR’s options are not limited.

Speaking to a limited media availability that included Motorsport.com, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer John Probst got candid about the current state of play as they court more OEMs.

“I feel like we’ve said this 900 times to you guys, and until today, (we) have not had any breakthrough news to announce, and today, we’re proud to welcome Ram back into NASCAR,” said Probst. “I don’t want to jinx ourselves, but I would say we are very close with one other (manufacturer) – can’t speak for them, obviously. It’s their decision to make. 

“We would love for them to decide to come into NASCAR and even with that, there’s one or two others that we’re a little bit earlier in the discussions, but also, looking pretty positive. We all know that an OEM deciding to come into NASCAR – it’s a big commitment for them. It’s not something that they take lightly. It’s something that requires a lot of research and approval at the highest levels, and you know, we’re confident right now. We like the position we’re in, and we think we’re a pretty good investment for an OEM.”

Ram Truck

While this is pure speculation, Honda is likely among that group in some form as the manufacturer has been linked to previous discussions with NASCAR. But regardless of who, it’s clear that the sanctioning body is finally making inroads in their mission to expand their number of dedicated OEMs in the sport.

As for why now, Probst claimed, “there’s a lot of momentum around our sport right now … outside of our sport, particularly around a lot of the blue-chip stuff when we go out and get to visit with folks. Particularly, companies that aren’t in our sport today, but a lot of positive momentum there.”

Probst also believes the Next Gen car, which was introduced in 2022, is another factor in renewed interest from manufacturers. He said the current generation gives the OEMs “cars that really match what they have on the dealership side and all of the other stuff that’s going on over at Dodge, Ram, and Stellantis. The timing was just right for us to get back to work and go racing again together.”

As for a timeline, Probst repeated 18 months as the bare minimum for a manufacturer from the moment they say ‘yes’ to the day they first show up on the grid in order to get everything ready for such an endeavor.

But in the meantime, NASCAR finally has its fourth manufacturer – at least at the Truck level.

Inside the car, Ryan Blaney is an outspoken driver who often lets his rivals know when they’ve annoyed him. And as a veteran of over 350 Cup races with 14 wins (including last weekend at Nashville), he has plenty of thoughts regarding how he wants to be raced and how he chooses to race others.

While this unwritten driver code of conduct varies throughout the field, Blaney helped create his with guidance from his father Dave, who started 473 Cup races in his own career.

The dos and the don’ts of racing in NASCAR

Three-wide battle for the race lead with William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford, and Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Michael Bush – Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“Everyone’s line is different,” said Blaney is a Saturday press conference. “I can’t really speak for anybody else. My father [Dave] raised me. He raced for a long time, so I had that going for me that he was able to teach me the do’s and don’ts. I’ve been chewed out a lot when I was younger for doing the wrong thing – at being overly aggressive and costing somebody else. My dad chewed my ass out when I did that. 

“I did it a few times in late models when I was like 13 and he said it right. He set the line. He said, ‘This is wrong. You do not race this way. This is just how it is.’  It was one of those situations where I’m racing someone hard and I made a mistake. I slipped up and I spun him out. It wasn’t intentional, but even those mistakes dad would really make me clean up right away. That’s just how his dad raised him.”

Blaney is also a driver who welcomes “hard racing” on the track, accepting that contact is a byproduct of that. Especially in modern NASCAR, where passing is extremely difficult and the field is so close together.

Learning from your mistakes

Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Chevrolet, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske Ford

Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images

“Everyone races hard (and) contact is going to happen,” said Blaney. “I think it’s an issue if it happens repetitively, like a lot. I think that’s when it starts becoming an issue. It’s like, ‘Do you learn from your mistakes?’ You can say you’re sorry all you want, but if you don’t learn from them and make a change, then everyone thinks you’re lying and you don’t feel sorry about that.”

As for where the line is, Blaney drew it right about where Carson Hocevar hit Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at Nashville. Blaney himself had an issue with Hocevar at Atlanta after getting run into from behind while entering Turn 1.

“To me, over the line is if you get run over in the rear bumper and you get spun out and wrecked, then you have a brake pedal. You ran into that guy. I’ve read some stuff this week and people are like, ‘Well, Stenhouse could have cut him a break.’ I’m like, ‘How can Stenhouse cut him a break?’ I don’t understand. I think the #77 [Hocevar] could have cut him a break if you’re gonna talk about breaks. I don’t even think that situation was cutting somebody a break. That was just getting run over.”

Blaney did praise Hocevar as a natural talent who knows how to go fast, but he wants to see him learn and grow from these recent moments.

“All of us have been young,” continued Blaney. “We’ve all been aggressive. Everyone has a heavy right foot when they get going and that’s good. I think he’s a very, very talented race car driver. He’s one of the best guys out there. It’s hard to teach speed. I think he just has to refine a little bit of what he does. I don’t think he has to change who he is because this is what got him here, but I think he’s got to possibly think of some situations that he’s been in and just try to learn from them. That’s really all you can do, so I don’t really critique anybody. I’m not critiquing him at all. That’s just my stance on it is when guys keep spinning off the front of your bumper that becomes an issue. I’m not a huge fan of that. I’ve been a part of it. I got turned at Atlanta getting run into from behind. It’s like, ‘How many times are you gonna keep doing this until you learn?’ So, we’ll see.”

Hocevar and Stenhouse did talk this week, and according to the driver of the No. 77, they may have buried the hatchet in their short-lived feud.

Photos from Michigan – Practice & Qualifying

The Ram 1500’s entrance into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is part of a drive for Ram that includes 25 product announcements over 18 months.

“Ram returning to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a major moment for the sport, and a sign that NASCAR remains a strong platform for blue chip brand partners,” said John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We are excited to welcome Ram back to the sport. Its identity includes high performance, durability and innovation – characteristics that embody NASCAR and, specifically, the Craftsman Truck Series.”

Ram will join the field for the 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, ending a 13-year break, and today unveiled a new Ram 1500 concept race truck that previews the design for next year. Returning to the racetrack marks a major milestone, part of a pedal-to-the-metal drive for Ram that covers 25 product announcements over 18 months.

The news of Ram’s return to NASCAR was officially announced by Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram brand during a live NASCAR event at the Michigan International Speedway this weekend. Jaw-dropping moments included a Ram 5500 hauling a custom trailer built specifically for smoky donuts, courtesy of Ram’s NASCAR concept truck. Anderson Silva, Hall of Fame MMA Icon took to the track to shoot HEMI-branded T-shirts into the crowd.

“For more than a decade, customers and our dealer network asked about getting back into NASCAR. The desire was always there, but we didn’t have a plan that delivered the last tenth and following just didn’t fit our DNA,” said Kuniskis. “Now we have a solid plan that will set us apart from the field and will bring fresh new interest and engagement to America’s Motorsport.”

Joining the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, in a way that only Ram can, is a natural, strategic move for the brand, as more than 40 percent of NASCAR fans are truck owners. The popular and competitive race series gives Ram a high-performance showcase as it launches a series of exciting and capable new trucks.

“Ram returning to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is a major moment for the sport, and a sign that NASCAR remains a strong platform for blue chip brand partners,” said John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We are excited to welcome Ram back to the sport. Its identity includes high performance, durability and innovation – characteristics that embody NASCAR and, specifically, the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.”

Ram 1500 NASCAR Concept

The Ram 1500 concept race truck unveiled today was molded by the Ram design team. The concept resembles a production truck, adopting elements from the Ram Sport Truck lineup (Warlock, Rebel and RHO), but honed with an aerodynamic signature to slip through the air efficiently, yet with enough airflow to cool a race engine that revs over 9,000 rpm. Body lines around the fenders and grille carry a familiar appearance, framing a large Ram logo that separates this truck from the pack.

The one-off body design is covered by a two-tone Gloss Black canvas with Molten Red lower. The Ram design team created an impactful and exciting livery that complements the visual emotion of Ram’s design DNA and highlights Direct Connection and “Symbol of Protest” logos. Mopar’s Direct Connection aftermarket unit is adding performance options for Ram trucks and earns prominent signage on the concept race truck.

“There will be more details on our NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program later this year,” added Kuniskis. “We are undoubtedly having fun with this project, and I truly look forward to sharing information on our team and how getting back on track relates to the future of Ram performance.”

In conjunction with the news, the brand showed off its “Ram-Demption” campaign, featuring Kuniskis behind the wheel of Ram’s NASCAR concept truck at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, with the iconic Goodyear Blimp and jets flying overhead. Different versions of the “Ram-Demption” video include 60-second, 30-second and 15-second spots that will run across NASCAR media and the Ram brand’s social channels, and a long-form video running on www.ram.com or on Youtube. “Ram-Demption” was created in partnership with Argonaut agency.

Ram’s racing news is part of a power celebration that includes a popular demand return of the 5.7-liter HEMI^® V-8, as orders open for the engine’s availability in the 2026 Ram 1500.

Ram exited factory support of NASCAR’s CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2012 after a 17-year run and focused on launching the new 2013 Ram 1500. Ram’s return is one part of a strategy to build on the greatest variety of sport trucks and off-road enthusiast trucks the brand has ever offered.

Ram boasts a rich history of performance trucks, including the Power Wagon, SRT10 Viper Truck, TRX, RHO, Rumble Bee, Little Red Express and Warlock.

In 2004, a Ram SRT-10, piloted by NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan, set a Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest production truck with an average speed of 154.587 mph (248.784 km/h) at the Stellantis Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Mich.

Ram Brand

Ram offers a full lineup of pickups and commercial vehicles: the Ram 1500, 2500/3500 Heavy Duty, 3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab and ProMaster vans.

The Ram Light-Duty and Heavy Duty pickups are considerably improved for 2025 and offer new products in the fastest growing segment within the pickup space — sport trucks. Ram introduced the largest variety of off-road performance trucks the brand has ever offered, including the new Ram 1500 RHO with more horsepower per dollar than any other performance off-road pickup.

In the commercial business, Ram is launching the new 2025 Chassis Cab line with improvements to help customers and upfitters. Ram Professional is making considerable changes in process, execution and resources with a focus on commercial offerings, dedicated B2B-focused expertise, and sales and service support, which are critical to growing in this segment.

Ram continues to outperform the competition, setting the benchmark in the most important areas for truck buyers:

• Segment-first: 1,000 lb.-ft of torque with Cummins Turbo Diesel
• Most luxurious: Ram 1500 Tungsten with air suspension, 24-way massage seats and 540 horsepower
• Ram 1500 and Heavy Duty: Best ride and handling with five-link solid rear axle with available, segment-exclusive, active-level four-corner air suspension
• Ram 1500 RHO: Best off-road performance per dollar
• Ram ProMaster: The most cargo space available in any traditional full size cargo van
• Ram Power Wagon: Most off-road capable full-size pickup

Ram is improving market competitiveness and growth while maintaining pricing power through products, services and electrified offerings. Aligned under the global presence of the Stellantis Pro One commercial vehicle organization, Ram currently offers a wide range of products globally, from the Ram 700 compact pickup to the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab and a range of ProMaster vans.

Ram is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Stellantis PR