--- title: "Dodge Is Returning to NASCAR Touting Gasoline-Powered Performance Is Back" date: "2026-11-03" modified: "2026-11-03" authors: - name: "Joel Feder" job_title: "Director of Content and Product" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/joel-feder.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/dodge-is-returning-to-nascar-touting-gasoline-powered-performance-is-back" categories: - "Dodge News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Racing" --- # Dodge Is Returning to NASCAR Touting Gasoline-Powered Performance Is Back ![Dodge returning to NASCAR]() *\Stellantis\* Dodge is going racing. Whether the win on Sunday and sell on Monday marketing plan will work out is yet to be seen, but the Brotherhood of Muscle is all about gasoline again, apparently. On Monday in Las Vegas as the SEMA show kicks off, Dodge announced its return to NASCAR Cup Series racing. The message for fans of the brand is said to be this, "Gasoline-powered performance is back at the center of the brand, and Dodge is heading back to NASCAR Cup Series racing," Dodge said. “Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, 'watch this,'” said Head of American Brands for Stellantis Tim Kuniskis. “Sure, we could spend three years planning, testing and perfecting … or we could do all three in real time, on the track. It’s going to be exponentially harder this way. But slow has never been part of Dodge DNA. LFG.” Dodge will use the NASCAR Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 6-8 to have its factory-backed team, which is partnered with Kaulig Racing, to announce the 2027 season driver lineup. On Dec. 4, at the 59th annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, Dodge will reveal its new stock car. Dodge is following in Ram's footsteps, as the [truck brand announced its return to NASCAR]() in June. At the time, Kuniskis, the [man that resurrected SRT](), teased Dodge's return to NASCAR stating, "We have cars in our company." And he obviously didn't mean Chrysler, which [currently sells only the Pacifica minivan](). That message, and return to NASCAR, comes days after reports of the [Dodge Charger EV being the worst lease deal on the planet](), perhaps and likely on purpose. Dodge seemingly has no interest in selling its electric muscle car. The electric 2027 Charger Daytona also [received a five-figure price increase]() despite tepid demand. To date, Dodge has seemingly been [doing everything it can to make people like the new Charger](), except give it a V8. But a V8 wasn't in the original plans for the new Charger, and things take time. I [saw a Hellcat-powered V8 Dodge Charger SRT]() with a huge wing straight out of the Superbird era. It's likely locked for the 2028 model year. Everything we are seeing happen is part of [Stellantis' huge turnaround plan]() that calls for 60 new vehicles and 50 refreshes by 2030. That includes the V8-powered Charger. But before the Hemi returns to the Charger comes the [rise of the Super Bee](), but it has a highly boosted inline-six this time around. In April, [Dodge CEO Matt McAlear told *The Drive* ]()it's too soon to judge the Charger's sales figures. “I’m still excited. I’m still bullish on this car,” he told *The Drive* in an interview. “I think it offers something that no one sees coming in the industry and it wakes up some mundane car segments that there’s not many of them left.” The faithful are angry, and [we said the reboot of the icon is off to a poor start](). McAlear acknowledged the troubled launch to *The Drive* in April and said, “And believe me,” he added, “you don’t get anything right the first time.” Acknowledging the issue is step one. *Got a story? Send us a line at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Overseeing what you see, read, touch, hear, and interact with from the vast lakes of Minnesota, Joel Feder shapes how The Drive looks and operates as the head of content and product initiatives. On a daily basis, Joel leads the newsroom and editorial staff playing point on both short-term coverage and long-term strategic plans. His mission is to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media by helping the team execute original reporting, breaking news, and exclusive opportunities. Regarded as an industry insider and recognized by colleagues, fellow journalists, and manufacturers as a point-person and leader in the industry, Joel owns and runs the largest automotive professionals group on Facebook in an effort to serve and help others. Joel serves as a juror for the World Car Awards. In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors for Move Forward MN, a local non-profit that helps at-risk youth with barrier-free mental health and housing services. While you’re reading this he’s either on his computer or iPhone chasing the latest news or drafting a story. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Bluesky]() [Email]() ## More - [Yes, Someone Really Made a Dodge Challenger Limousine With Quad Gullwing Doors]() - [Nearly 57,000 Hellcat-Powered Dodges and Jeeps Produced Equals 40,911,122 Horsepower]() - [Dodge Claims It’s Not Screwing Over Demon Owners with the 807-HP Challenger SRT Super Stock]() - [Mopar Built an Electric Plymouth GTX Restomod With Less Power Than Stock]() - [Dodge’s Final ‘Last Call’ Model Will Miss SEMA Thanks to Exploding Engines]() - [Dodge Charger EV’s Fake Exhaust Didn’t Sound Good Because It’s Not Done: CEO]() - [Dodge Durango Hellcat Owners Sue Dodge for Bringing ‘One-Year’ Model Back for 2023]() - [1969 Dodge Charger ‘General Lee’ Wrecked After ‘Traveling Too Fast’ in Missouri]()