- Ram aims for 2026 NASCAR Truck Series return, Cup by 2027
- Niece Motorsports shuts down speculation, reaffirms Chevrolet loyalty
- CEO Tim Kuniskis remains confident Ram will rejoin national competition
Ram’s bid to re-enter NASCAR has hit early resistance after Niece Motorsports publicly distanced itself from the brand amid growing speculation. While Ram Trucks CEO Tim Kuniskis has outlined ambitions to return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2026 — with Dodge targeting a Cup Series re-entry by 2027 — Niece has made clear that it will remain with Chevrolet.
In a firm statement released to quash the swirling rumours, a Niece Motorsports official said:
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a stir of rumors swirling around the garage area about the potential of our team switching manufacturers heading into next year. We wanted to help set the record straight of our position on the matter heading into 2026. Since 2016, Niece Motorsports has proudly been associated with our partners at General Motors representing the Chevrolet brand. We can confirm that any rumors of our team shifting its allegiance to a different manufacturer are baseless and untrue. We look forward to continuing our strength with GM and are proud to wear bowties for years to come.”
Ram and Dodge last competed in the Truck Series in 2012 but have long been rumoured to be eyeing a return. Kuniskis, speaking on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, confirmed those plans are moving forward.
“A lot of very smart people, smarter than me, have told me we better plan on two years to get back to Cup, but I’m always pushing for the quicker timeline,” Kuniskis said. “So I’m hoping that it’s 2026 for Truck and 2027 for Cup.”
Despite Niece’s rejection, Kuniskis remains bullish about the project and believes Ram will become the first new national-level NASCAR manufacturer since Toyota entered the sport in 2007.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps also addressed the broader implications of adding manufacturers to the sport during a recent Sports Business Journal interview.
“It’s a lot of work. There’s a lot of prep work that needs to happen even if we came to an agreement today. I don’t know what that timing is. To me, it’s really more about getting it done, making an announcement for a fourth — ideally we’d have a fifth.”
“I think our three existing OEMs would be really happy about that. It just creates more balance, obviously, but also it allows for additional funding to teams that are not really getting the funding that some of the other teams are getting.”
The addition of new manufacturers like Ram — and possibly Honda, which is also heavily rumoured to be exploring NASCAR — would mark a major turning point in the sport’s competitive and financial landscape. For now, though, Ram will have to move forward without Niece Motorsports in its corner.
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