New Manufacturer….sort of

In the 2010s, we saw Dodge leave NASCAR all together shortening the amount of race manufacturers in the sport from 4 to 3. Many fans missed Dodge and NASCAR spent a lot of time teasing at a new manufacturer. It looks like Sunday will mark the end of the teasing and turn into a reality.

Sunday prior to Firecracker Casino 400 at Michigan, NASCAR will have a special announcement to share with the public. There have been a few leaks of a RAM Craftsman Truck that’s flooded newsfeeds that lead many to believe that the automaker is announcing a return to NASCAR. RAM also made a tweet earlier in the week announcing an announcement for Sunday as well at the same time. This would be a 4th manufacturer in the sport and the first manufacturer to enter the sport since Toyota did in 2004. Details on who the driver and team would be are still unclear but a few rumors point to YouTube star Garrett Mitchell aka Cleetus McFarland.

Dodge previously had a short stint in NASCAR that was announced in 1999 with Ray Evernham leading the charge at the time. Dodge would stay in the sport until the end of the 2012 season when Penske racing switched its manufacturer from Dodge to Ford. Without having a team in the top series of NASCAR that net their standards of competition, Dodge withdrew from the association.

During the offseason NASCAR received a formal submission aiming to join the 3 automakers Toyota, Chevy, and Ford for the 2026 season and it was speculated that Dodge was the leading candidate. The truck series was how both Dodge and Toyota entered into NASCAR but while Toyota has found much success, Dodge unfortunately didn’t to the levels that Toyota did. Toyota was also able to achieve longevity in the sport as now they support 3 Cup series teams in Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI racing, and Legacy Motor Club. Hopefully this attempt at NASCAR works out well for Dodge.

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