I’ve been predicting Mopar’s return to NASCAR for years—but I had the wrong brand
Audio By Carbonatix
For two years I’ve been writing about the “Mopar” return to NASCAR. Why? Because Dodge and Ram have new hybrid powertrains to prove to consumers. What better way to sell new technology than “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday”?
NASCAR President Steve Phelps even let slip that a new manufacturer was considering joining the Cup Series. But they needed NASCAR to change. And Phelps wasn’t against new rules to expand beyond Chevy, Ford, and Toyota.
“I would be surprised if a new OEM came in without some sort of electrification, and I am not talking about all electric, I am talking about a hybrid system.”
— STEVE PHELPS, NASCAR PRESIDENT
Some fans assumed Phelps was referring to Honda. But when he referred to a 2024 season date to go hybrid–with the new manufacturer–I predicted he was talking about Dodge. That’s because Dodge was launching its Charger EV for the 2024 model year. For its part, NASCAR made sure the spec class for the Next Gen cars was modular enough that it can incorporate an electric drive unit in the transaxle. In fact, NASCAR even helped with a prototype hybrid race car which debuted at Le Mans.
The 2024 season and 2025 season both began with no hybrids, and no Dodge, in NASCAR. But there were some interesting changes happening at Dodge. CEO Tim Kuniskis retired and the new management team is quick to announce that it is looking at V8 vehicles again. Then it resurrected the Hellcat, for the 2026 Durango. As the 2026 season neared, it looked like Dodge was going to stand NASCAR up, yet again. Then something wild happened.
Stellantis just announced, “Ram returns to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2026.”
After 13 years away, one Stellantis-US brand is going back to NASCAR. And it’s not Dodge. But in hindsight, this isn’t surprising. First, Ram has been pushing its new “e-Torque” mild hybrid technology. So slapping that badge on the side of a NASCAR truck may help sell it to U.S. buyers. Secondly, the new brand CEO of Ram is a familiar face: Tim Kuniskis. He was presumably heading up the talks to put Dodge back in NASCAR, so when he came out of retirement to helm Ram trucks he just resumed the talks.
