Ram is goin’ NASCAR racin’ for the first time in more than a decade. It’s leaning into the Hemi V8’s revival by committing to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026, which Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis confirmed is its immediate focus. However, he says “the company” has intentions to enter the Cup Series later on.
Huh?
During a Ram media event that The Drive attended virtually, Kuniskis mentioned aspirations of joining the Cup Series. He was asked to clarify later, during the Q&A session, given that Ram builds trucks. “We have cars in our company,” Kuniskis explained. “I don’t have cars. Even though everybody calls them Dodge Rams.”
Clear as mud, then. It’s obviously enough to get people talking.
I’ve written about Dodge’s potential return to NASCAR several times over the years, though for every rumor I’ve decided to cover, there have been 10 more that I passed on. The realest it ever felt was when NASCAR President Steve Phelps commented on Dodge’s supposed return back in 2021. Even then, Phelps simply said, “I won’t confirm or deny that.” Kuniskis’ cryptic statement feels about as weighty.
Even if you interpret this as an indirect confirmation of Dodge’s interest in rejoining the Cup Series, it’s no guarantee. Manufacturers throughout history have planned to join NASCAR, Formula 1, and almost every other racing discipline without following through. There’s a lot that has to go right, even beyond building a car. Finding a team, or, ideally, several teams, is crucial to fielding entries.
Speaking of teams, Kuniskis and Ram don’t have one locked in yet. He plans to have an arrangement in place by the Daytona season-opener in February 2026. And the truck that hits the superspeedway will look a lot like the Ram 1500 NASCAR Concept that just debuted.
The super-sleek race truck concept was unveiled this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. It was in a specialized “donut” trailer with folding sides that revealed it in a cloud of tire smoke. These guys are a hoot.
“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.”
You can bet NASCAR is happy about having a fourth manufacturer, too, even if it’s only in one series. It sounds like talks are happening to potentially expand that to the top-level Cup circuit.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
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