The 2026 NASCAR season is still a year away, but the fans’ anticipation for it is already high. After all, the iconic Ram Truck is making a comeback in the Craftsman Truck Series next year.
The last time a Ram Truck was driven in NASCAR was in 2013. Stellantis North America, the same company that owns Dodge, owns the Ram brand. So, Stellantis’s comeback to stock-car racing could also mean big things for the Cup Series’ future.
That’s probably the reason why the NASCAR community isn’t able to contain its excitement.
The 2026 NASCAR Truck Series Season Would Have Four OEMs
For some time now, there has been chatter around the Ram Trucks’ return. But now, NASCAR has made it official with an announcement on X. The caption read, “Ram, it’s great to see you again. Starting in 2026, @RamTrucks will make a high-octane return to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series!”
Ram, it’s great to see you again.
Starting in 2026, @RamTrucks will make a high-octane return to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series! pic.twitter.com/mYdZo9xcDK
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 8, 2025
The teaser video has fans going berserk. One pumped fan wrote, “Big NASCAR W.” Another one echoed the same emotion, “Welcome back, Dodge.” This is exactly the goal of RAM Trucks coming into the sport: to get fans more excited for the Truck Series and to grow the overall reach of the sport’s third-tier series.
In fact, as reported by NBC, Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram, said, “Our objective is to take the 20 million (avid fans of NASCAR) and turn it into 80 or 100 million. We have a plan. We know how we’re going to do it. We think we have a path to get to that. We think people are going to like the way we’re doing it because it’s going to be fun…It’s going to get crazier from there.”
Well, having a fourth OEM compete alongside Toyota, Chevrolet, and Ford is going to be exciting. Just the anticipation of what veteran teams would switch to the RAM Truck, or would new teams come in? All this has left fans thrilled. One fan on this wrote, “Yes, RAM is back in NASCAR!”
There is also a lot of nostalgia involved when it comes to the RAM Truck. They entered the Truck Series in 1995, under the Dodge banner, and won championships in both 2004 and 2005 with Bobby Hamilton and Ted Musgrave. So there is a lot of history involved with their return to NASCAR. Another excited fan wrote, “HELL YEAH WE ARE SO BACK.”
This move has many anticipating Dodge’s entry into the Cup Series. It’s exactly how Toyota did it. They debuted in the Truck Series in 2004 and in 2007 made their way to the Xfinity and Cup Series. So, Stellantis could be planning to take the same route in the future. Also, Kurniskis hinted at it when he said, “We have cars in our company.” Basically, what he meant is that they don’t just have trucks.
Naturally, NASCAR boss Steve Phelps would be all in for this. He has been eyeing new OEMs in the Cup Series for a long time now, and this could fulfill that goal. One fan believes it already has; he wrote, “Steve Phelps’ decade-long dream finally coming to fruition 💀🙏😭.” Well, only time will tell how things unfold for Stellantis in the stock car series.