Ram to return to NASCAR Truck Series: ‘The way we’re going to do it is unlike anyone else’

NASCAR will welcome a new manufacturer at the national level for the first time since 2007, as Stellantis announced Sunday it would begin competing in NASCAR’s Truck Series through its Ram brand next year.

The addition of Ram gives NASCAR four manufacturers participating in its third-tier Truck Series, joining Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota (all three of which also race in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series and second-tier Xfinity Series). Ram’s announcement marks a return for the brand, which competed in the Truck Series from 1995 through 2016 under the “Dodge Ram” banner, winning three manufacturers’ championships (2001, 2003 and 2004) and two driver championships.

“The way we’re going to do it is unlike anyone else,” Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said. “The reason that we’ve been out of NASCAR for 12 years is a very tough (return on investment); it is a very tough business decision to make. But when we say we’re back, when we say nothing stops Ram, when we bring the Hemi (engine) back, when we bring some of the other stuff that we haven’t shown you, it makes perfect sense to be back in the (NASCAR) space and back up we’re saying. But again, we’re going to do it differently than everybody else.”

Ram did not reveal which team(s) it will support next year. The expectation is it will have multiple entries on the track when the 2026 season begins in February at Daytona International Speedway.

“I’m really 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 I’m going to actually do that? What’s my team going to be? How I’m going to do it? I don’t know. We’re looking for a date to the prom right now.”

Ram’s return has created buzz that Stellantis is eying a bigger involvement in NASCAR, as it once did to great fanfare.

Dodge previously competed in the Cup Series from 2001 to 2012, winning the driver championship with Brad Keselowski in its final year. It exited NASCAR due to financial difficulties at the corporate level and a lack of viable teams. After Dodge departed NASCAR, Stellantis purchased the company and later split Dodge and Ram into separate entities, with Dodge focused on production street cars and Ram on production trucks.

Ram’s reentry certainly opens the door for Dodge to return to the Cup Series. The last time Dodge raced in Cup, it first raced in the Truck Series before eventually expanding into NASCAR’s premier series.

Kuniskis specifically noted plans to expand in the announcement. But Dodge’s return to Cup likely won’t occur before NASCAR finalizes and settles on a timeline to implement its next engine rules package. That rollout is expected to be a few years away, people with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.

Until then, Kuniskis is focusing on Ram’s re-debut next year.

“How am I going to get to Cup? That’s going to depend on how I get to Truck,” Kuniskis said. “So, however we get to Truck is going to obviously weigh heavily on ‘do I have a path to Cup?’ My intention is to not do a one-hit wonder and go to Truck and not Cup. That’s not our plan.”

Securing Ram’s return (and potentially Dodge, too) is a coup for NASCAR, which has worked feverishly for a decade-plus to land a fourth manufacturer. Both league executives and those with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota have spoken openly about their desire to have additional original equipment manufacturers (OEM) competing in the sport, believing it would further raise NASCAR’s overall profile and increase on-track competitiveness.

“This is something that we have been talking about for a long time, and it’s something that we don’t get to do very often,” said John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “This is something that is a big moment for our entire sport and our existing competitors, potential new competitors, our OEMs. It’s certainly something that when we work with our existing OEMs, they have made it loud and clear that they would welcome a new OEM into our sport with open arms.”

When Probst was asked what compelled Stellantis to return, he cited many reasons, including an increased interest in the sport that has been reflected in higher television ratings and other metrics, plus the introduction of a more standardized Cup car designed to limit costs and induce greater parity. Probst also said NASCAR is continuing to hold serious conversations with other manufacturers, expressing optimism that a fifth manufacturer will eventually sign on.

“I think this is proof positive of the strength that NASCAR has when it comes to attracting those blue-chip brands to come in and participate in our sport,” Probst said. “We are very excited to welcome them to the NASCAR family — or welcome them back to the NASCAR family. And hopefully that creates a lot of momentum for us to have some more exciting announcements regarding OEMs in the future.”

(Photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)