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In 2012, after several years of struggling with financial difficulties, corporate restructuring, and the loss of their flagship team to the Ford banner, Dodge finally left the NASCAR circuit. They had left NASCAR in the past and come back, however, so it was natural for some to assume that this arrangement would only be temporary. But as time ticks away and we hit the 10-year mark since the departure of Dodge, are there really any signs of their return to the sport? This is what we’re talking about in today’s blog.
Background: Why Did Dodge Leave NASCAR?
There were a number of factors that came together to create the situation where Dodge felt it was untenable for them to stay racing in NASCAR. The loss of Team Penske to Ford was a Major blow, and coupling it with both being unable to find a comparative team and the internal workings of the company, and its parent companies, Dodge felt it was time to leave.
We have more information on this in the Why Did Dodge leave NASCAR article here on the site you can check it out on the link above.
Will Dodge Come Back to NASCAR?
Whether or not Dodge will return to NASCAR currently remains uncertain. Certainly there have been many rumors, including serious-sounding talks with both RFK Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. However, regardless of how true these rumors turned out to be, the fact is that Dodge themselves have essentially ruled themselves out of any immediate or imminent return by pointing to their own focus on drag racing.
On top of that, the entire sport of NASCAR is seemingly set for major powertrain shifts towards hybrid and electrification in the coming years, (slowly it seems) making it a more sensible idea for Dodge (and others) to wait before jumping into NASCAR.
Rumors are Swirling
There were always whispers about Dodge coming back to NASCAR, of course, but these whispers were made very loud indeed during 2021 and 2022 as speculation started swirling about Dodge holding serious talks with NASCAR teams. Specifically, there was RFK Racing, as revealed in October 2022 by Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal in a tweet. These discussions were described as “exploratory talks,” but of course we all know that that could really mean almost anything.
This seemed like a strange match-up to some because the co-owner of RFK Racing is Jack Roush, a career-long Ford loyalist. However, it was the other key partner in RFK that was of interest to these discussions, namely Brad Keselowski. Why? Because Keselowski was the one with the previous close relationship and connection with Dodge, and it was rumored that he wanted to rekindle that relationship.
Other talks were supposedly explored with Stewart-Haas racing, and there have been suggestive and supportive remarks from NASCAR’s president Steve Phelps, too, which have fueled the fires of speculation. In the 2021 season, rather than hedge or deny rumors about Dodge having discussions with NASCAR teams, he responded much more positively to their happening:
“We’re happy about that. It’s been widely rumored that Dodge is one of those or closest. I won’t confirm or deny that.”
Steve Phelps(on Jayski)
Next-Gen Car
In addition to the above, there was also some speculation that the arrival of the next-gen NASCAR vehicle would prompt Dodge to come back. The new vehicle is built to be a lot more cost-effective and efficient than the previous models, which is all part of the “return to stock” idea: simplifying and streamlining the whole business of being involved with NASCAR. Despite the seemingly sound logic behind this idea, the next two factors in our list seem to work against it in a fairly powerful way.
Drag Racing Focus
Dodge themselves have recently reaffirmed their current focus and commitment to the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing series. The official championship name is the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing series, and in that sport Dodge is still an active manufacturer and is aligned with none other than Tony Stewart.
Some have used this as evidence of a possible alignment of Stewart’s NASCAR team with Dodge at some point or even just as a way to bring Dodge back to NASCAR. The team is currently set up with Ford, however, and there are no indications that that will change.
Dodge themselves, however, have reaffirmed their commitment to the NHRA, even releasing a statement to that effect in which they said quite clearly:
“Dodge is focused on our NHRA Camping World Drag Racing series efforts and the NHRA ‘Countdown to the Championship’ with Tony Stewart Racing and not expanding our efforts into other forms of racing at this time.”
Despite this, there are still those who believe what’s happening right now is Dodge are simply hedging while other avenues for a possible return are explored via their parent company Stellantis. For instance, there is some speculation that Stellantis is interested in entering a Dodge car into IMSA racing, a separate sports car racing division also owned by NASCAR.
This could be, some feel, a bridging move to bring Dodge one step closer to being back in NASCAR. Some even think that Stellantis might be offered a dual deal for both IMSA and NASCAR simultaneously, as well as a place for Peugeot cars (also owned by Stellantis) in the WEC series. As with anything like this, however, these are just unconfirmed rumors and are not backed up with any solid statements from parties concerned.
Hybrid and Electric Future
Finally, another key factor here is Dodge’s own move to hybridization and electrification. Dodge’s flagship models are to have their powertrains replaced with more sustainable alternatives as soon as the 2024 model year.
What sense would it make for Dodge to get back into the world of extraordinarily powerful internal combustion engines in NASCAR from scratch when the very cars that would be showcased at NASCAR races themselves now use electrified powertrains.
Continuing drag racing makes more sense since none of the vehicles in drag racing are street-legal models. However, while NASCAR models themselves are not street legal, they are based on the retail models that these OEMs make.
That’s part of the attraction of NASCAR, where companies like Toyota get to make people excited about the prospect of buying a Toyota Camry, even though everyone knows the Camry from the showroom is very different from that on the NASCAR track.
Could Other Manufacturers Join NASCAR?
So, the return of Dodge does seem rather doubtful when you take everything on balance. However, without a full-on statement from Dodge that says “We will never return to NASCAR,” it will be impossible to silence the rumors entirely.
In the meantime, others are talking about different OEMs that might join the NASCAR world, including:
- Nissan
- Volkswagen
- Buick/GMC
Could you see any of these taking part? They certainly have the resources, and all have a good motive to take part even just as a way to compete more fiercely with corporate competitors. Nissan, for instance, has a strong auto retail presence in the US, and it would be interesting to have Japanese-brand rivalry in the NASCAR field. Time will tell. There have been plenty of OEM ( manufacturers) that have tried their hand at NASCAR over the years and you can check them on on the link provided.
Conclusion
While new manufacturers would certainly be welcome into NASCAR to challenge the three of Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota it is looking like there might still be a significant amount of time to wait. Dodge in particular have seemingly ruled out a return to NASCAR in the near Future.
However just like the lead of a NASCAR race, these things have a habit of changing both quickly and frequently!
