The 2026 NASCAR Truck Series season was off to a flyer with record TV ratings on display, thanks to Tony Stewart and Travis Pastrana’s contribution. To add to the limelight, RAM trucks were running in the sport for the first-ever time, with the brand becoming the fourth OEM in the series. And with larger plans in mind, the RAM brand seems to be in no mood to stop anytime soon, despite internal voices feeling otherwise.
RAM CEO Wants To Continue Pushing for the NASCAR Cup Series Despite Internal Pushback
With the likes of Pastrana and Stewart running in the field, the Truck Series race at Daytona was able to pull in 1.604 million viewers at its peak, making it the most-watched Truck Series race on FOX Sports since 2016. On average, the race saw 1.387 million viewers tune in to watch, marking a 37% increase from last year’s viewing.
Much of the credit behind the sudden jump goes to RAM Trucks and Kaulig Racing, who were able to convince the legendary Stewart to return to NASCAR racing once again. While the former Cup Series champion wasn’t able to script a Triumph return, his presence was still of utmost importance.
And having achieved a successful debut in the Truck Series, RAM Trucks CEO Tim Kuniskis is eyeing a bigger pond to swim in, with his sights set on debuting his team in the Cup Series as soon as next year.
Speaking to Frontstretch recently, industry insider Adam Stern detailed that there has been internal pushback within the RAM camp with regard to their Cup Series debut. While most of the staff feel it is impossible to debut next season, Kuniskis is reportedly holding down the fort all by himself to make the dream a reality.
“According to the CEO Tim Kuniskis, he’s pretty much the only person left in his orbit that still feels its kind of realistic. More and more people are telling him that it’s gonna take till 2028. But he said he wasn’t ready to give up yet. Apparently, it’s still being evaluated.”
Stern added that, according to what he came to know this weekend, a lot of people feel that Kuniskis is “insane” for considering a 2027 push. Most people are of the opinion that engine development alone would take until 2028, but the CEO has yet to rule out the possibility.
The biggest obstacle standing in Kuniskis’ 2027 vision is the stark difference between entering the Truck and the Cup Series. While entering the former is relatively straightforward, becoming a part of the latter requires a lengthy process.
Most importantly, racing in the Cup Series requires more than just building body panels. The prerequisites include building an engine and an entire team infrastructure, among other things, and RAM stands far from it all. Nonetheless, Kuniskis is still optimistic that his team will be able to achieve it all before Feb. 2027.
