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Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to Dodge potential return to NASCAR

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•about 21 hours•

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Dale Earnhardt
Mike DiNovo-Imagn Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is excited about the possibility of Dodge returning to NASCAR, with Chris Knight of Catchfence reporting the manufacturer is eying a return to the Truck Series as soon as the 2026 season.

Dodge also intends to build a full Cup Series program which could be operational as soon as 2027 or 2028. While Earnhardt believes that timeline is “aggressive,” he would love to see Dodge back in NASCAR.

“That’s very aggressive for the Cup effort, which I don’t think they’ll be able to do that quickly,” Earnhardt said on the Dale Jr. Download. “… I think this is awesome. Dodge has got such a cool reputation, and I know they’ve had some ups and downs over the past several decades but in my eyes, they’re still a true muscle car brand. The Dodge Charger from the 70s is a beautiful vehicle and historic. The Challenger — lot of great vehicles come out of that brand. It’s just a cool brand. I’m thrilled they’re considering a return, and I hope it’s a successful one.”

Dodge eying return to NASCAR in 2026

According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, Dodge has already begun the process to gain NASCAR’s formal approval to join Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota in the Truck Series. Dodge had a storied history in the Truck Series from 1995-2016, capturing the manufacturers’ championship three times (2001, 2003 and 2004). Bobby Hamilton Sr. won the driver’s championship in 2004, with Ted Musgrave winning it in 2005.

It exited Cup competition in 2012 after Brad Keselowski piloted the Team Penske Dodge No. 2 car to a championship. NASCAR hasn’t welcomed a new manufacturer into Cup since 2007 when Toyota joined. Toyota initially started in the Truck Series in 2004.

Should Dodge return to Cup, Earnhardt is betting on several teams being interested.

“There’s a bunch of conversation around who are the teams that would help them on this journey and what their Cup programs would look like,” Earnhardt said. “We’ll keep our ear to the ground. … I’m sure there’s a lot of Cup teams out there thinking that’s a great opportunity for them.”