The NASCAR Truck Series has been a three-horse race between pickup powerhouses Ford, Chevy, and Toyota for over a decade since Dodge pulled factory support from the division in 2012. That’s set to change in 2026, though – Ram is making its triumphant return to the “Tough Trucks of NASCAR” next season.
The Ram 1500 race truck will join the Ford F-150, the Chevy Silverado RST, and the Toyota TRD Tundra in the Truck Series next year. Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram brand, broke the news before the Cup Series race at Michigan on June 8th, 2025. The Ram 1500 prototype race car did donuts atop a custom-built trailer.
That prototype race truck is molded to resemble the production Ram 1500, complete with the iconic grille. As the automaker puts it, “Ram’s return is one part of a strategy to build on the greatest variety of sport trucks and off-road enthusiast trucks the brand has ever offered.”
“For more than a decade, customers and our dealer network asked about getting back into NASCAR. The desire was always there, but we didn’t have a plan that delivered the last tenth and following just didn’t fit our DNA,” said Kuniskis. “Now we have a solid plan that will set us apart from the field and will bring fresh new interest and engagement to America’s motorsport.”
Ram returning to the NASCAR Truck Series is just one of 25 major announcements that the automaker has lined up to break cover over the next 18 months. It follows the introduction of the 2026 Ram 1500, which just debuted as a formidable Ford F-150 rival powered by the brand’s iconic Hemi V8. That said, every Truck Series entry must conform to the same rulebook, and one key requirement is the use of a Chevy LS-based engine, no matter which badge is on the front of the truck.
For its part, The Blue Oval has found Victory Lane several times in the Truck Series in 2025, including its most recent win at North Wilkesboro, compliments of Chandler Smith and the No. 38 Ford F-150.
At this time, Dodge has not announced intent to compete in the Xfinity or Cup Series – although that is the logical progression of its reentry into NASCAR.
Comments
GREAT
EXCELLENT
Every truck is Chevy powered including Ford!
Lie!!! NHRA uses common engine parts but not NASCAR.
NASCAR controls everything in very one of their racing series. What a joke this is ! Why not let each manufacturer develop their own engines like was done in the past? I am sure Ford and now Dodge can make a race engine just as good or better then an LS. Maybe that’s the problem, NASCAR is afraid to let them do this and outshine GM, who they have been sucking up to for years!
Just remember, when your cheering on Ford, there’s the heartbeat of America, Chevy, under the hood!
That’s false!
This is why I quit watching nascrap years ago. Used to be a huge fan.
Ford should pull out of truck series and Ram should never entered it…if they think we dont know that they bascailly running a GM designed engine…Ford has plenty of crate small block engines in there Performance Parts…and teams should beable to run them.The truck series should be a avatar truck with no brands if this is what they want..
Rumor has it Ford is switching to Chevy engines for NASCAR because they’re more reliable and powerful.
Yeah they want to not win the Cup title 4 years in a row.
I would like to see the source of your rumor. Is this for Cup or Xfinity? Because as stated in the article, GM already supplies all engines for the Truck Series.
It is for both.
Source: your ass I’m guessing?