When Brad Keselowski stood on the stage at Homestead-Miami on November 18, 2012, the mood was pure euphoria for him, Team Penske, and Dodge. They had just won the Cup Series championship. It didn’t feel like the funeral of a legendary program. Yet just weeks later, Dodge packed up its haulers and walked away from NASCAR’s top series, leaving Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota to shape the field for the next 14 years. Fans kept hoping the iconic brand would return. After years of louder hints and speculation, 2027 is finally the year Dodge comes back.

On Monday, November 2, Kaulig Racing owner Matt Kaulig revealed that his team will field two Dodge Chargers in the 2027 Cup Series, meaning that once again, four manufacturers will be part of the grid at NASCAR’s highest level. The team Dodge chose to mark this welcomed return has a lot to prove.

“This is a very exciting moment for both Chris Rice and me. We launched Kaulig Racing a decade ago and have overcome so many challenges together, which makes it even more remarkable to be announced as the anchor team for Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series,” team owner Matt Kaulig said at the 2026 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas.

Stellantis had already tested the waters with a NASCAR return through its Ram brand, which rejoined the Truck Series this year. The company partnered with Kaulig Racing to field five trucks, marking its first return to a national NASCAR series since 2012. The program came together quickly: Stellantis announced the deal in June 2025, and by February 2026, five trucks were lined up at Daytona. Now, Stellantis appears to be taking a similar approach with its Cup Series return.

Initially, Dodge had targeted 2028 for its return to Cup. But it saved time by teaming up with Earnhardt-Childress Racing, which is expected to build Dodge engines alongside its Chevrolet engines. Ford and Toyota reportedly did not object, believing a fourth manufacturer would benefit the Cup Series. However, neither Dodge nor Kaulig has officially announced an engine partner.

Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis acknowledged that the company chose speed over a longer development period.

“Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, ‘watch this,'” he said. “It’s going to be exponentially harder this way. But slow has never been part of Dodge DNA.”

That confidence will soon meet NASCAR’s technical requirements. NASCAR says Dodge has passed the wind-tunnel stage of its car approval process. Production body panels are expected in mid-November for further checks. The process usually takes around 18 months, and Dodge has little room for delay before the 2027 season.

For NASCAR, this is a significant return. CEO Steve O’Donnell rightly said that fans will have another reason to tune in to the 2027 Cup Series because of the Dodge name. Bringing another manufacturer onto the grid has been a priority for years. However, the announcement also exposes the amount of work still ahead. Kaulig currently runs Chevrolet cars in Cup, so switching to Dodge means building a different manufacturer program while preparing for a season that begins in February.

Kaulig’s driver lineup is another piece still to be announced. The team plans to reveal its 2027 drivers during championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A.J. Allmendinger and Ty Dillon are expected to return, but neither has been confirmed for the Dodge entries.

Kaulig will also reveal the new Dodge Cup car on December 4 at the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The event will include the Dodge Sno-Brawl, a celebrity race featuring equally prepared Dodge Charger late models.

NASCAR does not plan to expand its 36-charter limit to accommodate Dodge. The manufacturer’s arrival will add competition without creating four extra guaranteed starting positions. Kaulig understands the responsibility that comes with the deal.

“I am proud of the stability and support this partnership brings to our organization, which allows us to build a winning program for many years to come,” Kaulig said.

Dodge has been part of NASCAR for more than six decades. It first entered the sport in 1953, and its cars became known for their power. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dodge helped push NASCAR’s aerodynamic limits with the Charger Daytona. Its large rear wing gave the car an edge, prompting NASCAR to change the rules. “The King” Richard Petty won 37 races and two championships in the red-and-blue STP Dodge Charger.

They left the sport in 1977. Then again, they returned in 2001, making an immediate impression by winning the pole for the Daytona 500, courtesy of Bill Elliott.

Over the next 12 seasons, factory-backed teams including Evernham Motorsports and Penske Racing won 55 Cup races. Dodge’s return ended with Brad Keselowski winning the 2012 Cup Series championship in Penske’s No. 2 Charger. His victory at Dover that year was Dodge’s last Cup win.

Penske had announced it would switch to Ford, leaving Dodge without its engine program. Since Penske ran the manufacturer’s only engine shop, Dodge had a championship-winning car but no engines to power it. Rather than build a new engine program or field an uncompetitive team, Dodge left NASCAR at the end of 2012.

Dodge has now secured its way back into Cup. Now Kaulig must turn a long-awaited reunion into a team capable of fighting Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota on Sundays.