Dodge Returns to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027 With Kaulig Racing, Targeting a Daytona 500 Debut and a Pensacola Car Reveal

Dodge is coming back to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027, and its return runs through Florida. The Stellantis-owned brand announced Monday at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas that it will rejoin NASCAR's top series a year earlier than initially expected, with Kaulig Racing fielding two Dodge Chargers and a debut planned for Daytona International Speedway in February, according to the Associated Press.

The move gives the Cup Series four manufacturers again, with Dodge joining Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. It ends an absence that began after the 2012 season, when Dodge left the sport in the same month it celebrated a Cup championship with Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing.

What Dodge announced

Kaulig Racing will run a two-car Dodge team, likely beginning with the exhibition Clash at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13, 2027, the AP reported. The more meaningful debut is set for the Daytona 500 eight days later, on Sunday, Feb. 21.

AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon are expected to drive the two Chargers, although a formal driver announcement is planned for NASCAR's championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which runs Nov. 6 to 8 and ends with the Cup Series title race on Sunday. Yahoo Sports reported that Kaulig will officially name its 2027 lineup that weekend.

Tim Kuniskis, head of American Brands at Stellantis North America, framed the accelerated timeline as a deliberate risk. "Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year," he said, according to the AP, before adding:

"Sure, we could spend three years planning, testing and perfecting … or we could do all three in real time, on the track. It's going to be exponentially harder this way. But slow has never been part of Dodge DNA."

Three Florida dates on the road back

The Sunshine State is at the center of Dodge's comeback calendar. Before the car ever turns a lap at Daytona Beach, Dodge plans to unveil the Cup car Kaulig will race at the Snowball Derby, the late-model race held each December at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. Yahoo Sports reported that the reveal will come at the 59th annual Snowball Derby on Dec. 4, where Dodge also plans a celebrity race called the Dodge Sno-Brawl in Charger late models.

The key Florida dates, as reported by the AP and Yahoo Sports:

For Volusia County, a fourth manufacturer on the grid adds a new storyline to a Speedweeks that already draws race fans from across the country. NASCAR's headquarters is also in Daytona Beach, which makes the city a natural stage for a brand return the sanctioning body has pursued for years.

Dodge's NASCAR history

Dodge raced in the Cup Series through 2012. Keselowski's championship that year with Penske Racing was Dodge's first Cup title since Richard Petty won the sixth of his seven championships in 1975, according to the AP. Dodge exited the sport shortly after that title, leaving NASCAR with three manufacturers for more than a decade.

The brand's path back began with trucks. Stellantis re-entered NASCAR in 2026 in the Craftsman Truck Series with its Ram brand, partnering with Kaulig Racing, and had originally set its sights on expanding to the Cup Series in 2028, the AP reported. Kaulig fielded five trucks this season, all of which sit outside the top 10 in the series standings heading into Homestead.

Kuniskis has said he wants the brand to be disruptive. The AP reported he said Ram planned to tap into NASCAR's estimated fan base of 20 million "and turn it into 80 or 100 million."

How Dodge got ready so quickly

Building a Cup program usually takes years, largely because of engine development. Dodge reportedly shortened that timeline by partnering with Earnhardt Childress Racing, which will build Dodge-spec engines alongside its regular Chevrolet work, according to the AP. Kaulig had already used ECR engines after ending its alliance with Richard Childress Racing, Yahoo Sports reported.

The Athletic reported that Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota allowed the unusual arrangement in part because they believed a fourth manufacturer would be good for the overall health of the series, according to the AP.

NASCAR's reaction

NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell welcomed the news in a statement. "Dodge's return to the NASCAR Cup Series is a significant milestone for the sport," he said, according to the AP. "This commitment speaks to Dodge's belief in our sport and gives fans another reason to be excited about what's ahead."

O'Donnell also praised the working relationship behind the deal. "The partnership between NASCAR, Kuniskis and the entire team at Stellantis has been nothing short of phenomenal," he said, adding that NASCAR "can't wait to see Dodge on the racetrack for the Daytona 500 and beyond."

John Probst, president of NASCAR Event Management, said the sanctioning body continues to search for more manufacturers, and noted that an appealing entry point could coincide with a new engine platform planned between 2030 and 2032. "The North American car market is probably one of a handful in the world that there's money to be made on car sales," Probst said, according to the AP. "And I think that when you're trying to sell cars and trucks and using motorsports as a platform to talk to your fans and your customers, there's no better place to be than in NASCAR."

What's next

The immediate focus shifts to South Florida this weekend. NASCAR's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which The Florida Press previewed last week, runs Friday through Sunday, Nov. 6 to 8, with the Cup Series championship race set for Sunday afternoon. Kaulig's formal confirmation of its Dodge drivers is expected during that weekend.

After that comes the December reveal in Pensacola and, if the compressed schedule holds, a February return to Daytona. Kuniskis himself acknowledged that building a Cup program in one year will be exponentially harder than the usual approach. The first real measure of whether Dodge pulled it off will come when the Chargers try to qualify and race in the 2027 Daytona 500.