Ram Is Returning To The NASCAR Truck Series In 2026 And Dodge Is On The Way

Drivers wanted. Truck drivers, that is.

Ram has announced plans to return to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2026. The automaker revealed its new truck during the NASCAR Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.

Ram previously ran a factory effort from 1997 (when it was part of Dodge) through 2013, but a few trucks wearing its bodies continued to race until 2016.

The new program is launching in conjunction with the brand’s announcement that it is bringing V8 engines back to the Ram 1500 pickup lineup after discontinuing them for the 2025 model year.

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Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said NASCAR offers a perfect marketing synergy as half its 20 million “avid” fans drive pickups and Rams account for 20%.

Ram will have a promotional presence at races this season before it starts racing in Daytona next February. Well, before someone starts racing its trucks there.

Kuniskis said Ram doesn’t have any teams or drivers lined up yet, but that he’s hoping to have at least four trucks running next year.

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He also confirmed the intent of Ram’s parent company Stellantis to reenter the Cup Series, possibly as soon as 2028. That would be run under Dodge name, which claimed a walk-off driver’s championship in 2012 with Brad Keselowski driving for Team Penske before leaving the series.

It only costs about $3 million to run a Truck Series team for a season, which is about a tenth of what a Cup Series team costs, so it offers a low-risk way to get back into the sport. In fact, after leaving NASCAR in 1984, Dodge first returned to the Truck Series in 1997 before reentering the Cup Series in 2001. Toyota followed a similar path into the sport by entering the Truck Series in 1997 and the Cup Series in 2007.