Ram Is Back NASCAR Racing While Dodge Is Still Stuck In A Group Chat

It’s not every day NASCAR holds a press conference on a stage in front of thousands of fans to confirm a secret that’s been about as well kept as the location of pit road. But here we are.

On Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR made official what the Ram trucks parked in the fan midway and the Ram show truck rambling about the grounds had already shouted all weekend—unless Stellantis has taken up recreational tailgating. As far as revelations go, this ‘announcement’ had all the surprise factor of a weather forecast.

NASCAR announced the sport is getting a new manufacturer to go along with Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. Of course it isn’t really a “new” manufacturer, instead it’s sort of like an old friend coming home. But even then, it’s a bit more complicated than that. You see this is a very different friend.

Stellantis, via Dodge, via its Ram branding will race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series next season. Cue the confetti. Just hold off on the brass band for now.

Before the sport was whittled down, NASCAR had enough automotive brands to fill a Sears-Roebuck catalog. Chrysler, Plymouth, Mercury, Buick, AMC, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Ford, and most recently Toyota, have all started races.

But by the early 1980s, Dodge had abandoned the sport, followed not long after by Mercury and Chrysler. Eventually, even Pontiac and Oldsmobile disappeared. That left only Ford and Chevrolet—until Dodge made a triumphant Cup Series return in 2001. Then Toyota in 2007.

That Dodge effort was led by legendary crew chief Ray Evernham, who had been stolen away from Hendrick Motorsports and his powerhouse pairing with Jeff Gordon. Dodge would win a total of 57 times in that return era led by Kasey Kahne, who scored 11 of his 18 career wins behind the wheel of a Dodge.

But at the end of the 2012 season, Dodge, still struggling like many American businesses from the Great Recession of 2009, left the sport once more leaving with 217 wins, third all-time among manufacturers. Dodge walked out on a high, just after Brad Keselowski delivered a Cup Series title for Team Penske. It was sort of a mike drop moment in the wake of turbulent times for Dodge.

At the time Dodge was under the Chrysler Group, which declared bankruptcy in 2009 and formed an alliance with Fiat who became the new majority owner. By 2014 Fiat had taken full control and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, FCA, was born. Meanwhile Dodge became focused on performance cars and the Ram model line which consisted mainly of trucks, became its own brand.

In 2021, FCA merged with France’s Groupe PSA—maker of Peugeot, Citroën, and Opel—to form Stellantis, a global auto conglomerate now headquartered in the Netherlands of all places. Stellantis has not shown any intention to bring Ram back into motorsports—its brand focus is utility and capability, not speed and sponsorship decals. That seems to have all changed.

“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.”

What does this mean for the Cup Series? Could Dodge be making a return? Might this be a sort of cautious toe-in-the-water approach, as opposed to Dodge’s bold 2001 reentry when they poached Ray Evernham and made immediate waves?

For now, those questions are still parked in the garage. What we do know is that after 13 years of NASCAR executives publicly pining for a fourth manufacturer like teenagers waiting for prom dates, we’re getting… trucks. Not Cup cars. Trucks. Yes, any manufacturer return is technically progress, but it’s like asking for a Ferrari and getting a very nice pickup instead.

Still, it’s worth noting that this isn’t Ram’s first truck rodeo. The brand previously ran in the Truck Series with factory support for 17 straight seasons, from the Truck series’ 1995 debut through 2011, before stepping away entirely after 2012. In that sense, this is both a comeback and a reunion—with just enough history to suggest there may be more to come.

Whether this is just a branding exercise or the opening act for something bigger, only Stellantis knows—and they’re not saying. But if history’s any indication, Dodge doesn’t just dip a toe in the pool—they cannonball. And with Ram trucks back on track, NASCAR’s long flirtation with a fourth OEM just got a little more real.