Dodge will return to NASCAR Cup Series in 2027 with Kaulig Racing
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 3, 2026
Dodge will return to Cup
Dodge will return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027, bringing the brand back to the sport’s top level after an absence that stretched back through 2012. The announcement came at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas and gives NASCAR a fourth manufacturer again, alongside Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. The timeline matters. Dodge is set to arrive one year earlier than originally expected, and the move gives the series a fresh manufacturer storyline before the 2027 season even begins. NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell called the return a significant milestone for the sport, a view that fits the size of the step. Manufacturer changes do not happen often in Cup, and this one restores a familiar badge to the garage after more than a decade away. Dodge’s comeback also lands with a clear competitive structure already in place, which gives the announcement more weight than a simple branding reveal. The company is not just talking about a future presence. It is laying out a full return path with a team, a car model and a race target attached to it.
Kaulig Racing lineup
Kaulig Racing will field the Dodge effort with a two-car Dodge Charger team, and the program is set to begin with the Daytona 500. That makes the deal more than a long-range plan. It gives Dodge an immediate entry point into NASCAR and ties the return to a team that already has a defined Cup footprint. A.J. Allmendinger is expected to drive the No. 16 car, while Ty Dillon is expected to take the No. 10. Those expected assignments give the project a recognizable driver lineup from the start and place two drivers at the center of the manufacturer’s return. The structure also gives Kaulig Racing a central role in the brand’s comeback, with the team carrying the Dodge Charger name into competition. The pairing of Kaulig and Dodge sets the stage for a two-car operation rather than a single showcase entry, which adds stability to the plan. With the Daytona 500 as the launch point, the return will unfold on a large stage and under the kind of scrutiny that comes with any manufacturer reentry in Cup. Every part of the announcement points to a fully formed effort, not a placeholder program.
Engine deal drives comeback
The technical side of the comeback has been a key part of the story, and Dodge’s partnership with Earnhardt Childress Racing helped speed up the return. That agreement will help build Dodge-spec engines, a detail that gives the manufacturer program an engine-building partnership. The engine piece matters because it connects the brand’s return to a working development path rather than a simple commitment on paper. With that support in place, Dodge has a route back into the series. The result is a return that arrives faster than first expected. Dodge’s comeback also changes the manufacturer mix in the Cup Series, since the brand will join Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota as the fourth option in the field. That restores a broader manufacturer presence to NASCAR’s premier series and reconnects Dodge with the series after 2012. The deal with Kaulig Racing, the Daytona 500 launch plan and the engine partnership all point in the same direction. Dodge is back in the Cup conversation, and it is coming with a full program behind it.
