Ram’s herd might be getting bigger on Friday night in Indianapolis.
Part-time NASCAR Truck Series Team MBM Motorsports has switched the No. 69 truck that has run with Ford and Toyota bodies this year to Ram for its entry in the TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Late Model specialist Jonathan Shafer will attempt to qualify the truck on the 0.686-mile oval.
If he’s successful, it will mark the first expansion of Ram’s new racing program beyond the five-truck effort fielded by Kaulig Racing. MBM Motorsports has run Dodge cars in the past.
“Frankly, we didn’t expect another team to run with Ram this early in our NASCAR return, and we’re glad to see it happen,” Tim Kuniskis, Head of American Brands, SRT Performance at Stellantis said in a statement provided to American Cars And Racing.
“The fact that MBM Motorsports, a team with Mopar roots in NASCAR, has joined the Ram camp makes it even more meaningful. It’s a strong validation of our strategy and proof that teams recognize the power of the Ram truck brand both on the track and in the garage.”
Terms of the arrangement with MBM Motorsports have not been announced. Kaulig Racing operates as Ram’s de-facto factory team in a close relationship with the automaker aimed at returning its sister brand Dodge to the Cup Series in the coming years.
Along with its four full-time drivers — Justing Haley, Corey LaJoie, Brendan Queen and Mini Tyrrell — Kaulig runs a “Free Agent” truck at each race with a rotating roster of guest drivers, which will be driven by Indianapolis native Conor Daly in the TSport 200.
