The hot rumor of Dodge (via its RAM brand) returning to the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series next year has been superseded by another rumor that has Dodge also returning to Cup Series competition in 2028. This, of course, begs the question—who would lead or follow the Charge(r) into Cup competition? Let’s break down the candidates (listed from least-likely to most-likely):
NO CHANCE IN HELL(CAT):
17. Wood Brothers—you’re more likely to see them run a Mercury than anything without a blue oval on it.
16. Hendrick Motorsports—this is a “never say never” situation, but yeah—I’m pretty comfortable with saying “never” to them leaving Chevy.
15. RFK Racing—while Jack Roush likely has less day-to-day control of the team, I still can’t see them getting rid of decades of Ford support like they did to all those developmental drivers in the 00’s.
14. Richard Childress Racing—yeah, I know they were rumored to have had conversations with Dodge before, but it’s still pretty-unlikely they abandon the bowtie.
“DON’T CALL US, WE’LL CALL YOU”
13. Hyak Motorsports—the old JTG team would likely jump at the chance for more funding, but why would anyone want them?
12. Rick Ware Racing—valuable for their two charters…and not much else. Again, what would Dodge have to gain?
11. Spire Motorsports—probably the best candidate of “we’ll take you on if you invest heavily in your team”, but they’d still likely need to step up significantly in performance.
FROM SATELLITE TEAMS TO LEADERS…IF THEY WANT TO
10. Trackhouse Racing—great performance, a pipeline of talent, and a top-notch marketing team. However, Justin Marks has said before that he always saw Trackhouse as a way to exploit (in a good way) efficiencies by being a satellite team.
9. Front Row Motorsports—three charters WOULD make them a prime candidate, but their lawsuit against Nascar puts them in limbo, and ownership would have to pretty much double their investment to become a true factory operation.
8. Legacy MC—as cool as it would be to align with a team operating out of the old Evernham Motorsports facility (not to mention Jimmie Johnson and Richard Petty), this team is still struggling to keep up as it is.
7. HYPOTHETICAL TEAM STEPPING UP FROM XFINITY or CUP—someone like, say, Sam Hunt Racing or ThorSport could buy a couple charters, elevate some sponsors, and get in on the ground floor with Dodge backing. But it would still be a massive increase in spending.
6. Haas Factory team—they have the space, they have the infrastructure, and they have the financial backing. But with Gene Haas contracting from four teams to ONE, why would he want to expand again?
NOW WE’RE TALKING
5. Kaulig Racing—while an afterthought in the Cup Series, team ownership hasn’t been shy about wanting to constantly upgrade and expand their team. Furthermore, they already have additional staff for their robust Xfinity Series team. However, any move would likely require a new race shop (they’re currently based on the RCR campus) and a true top-line driver signing.
4. 23XI Racing—while currently a satellite team, they have a huge race shop, a plethora of sponsors, and you get the feeling that Michael Jordan would love to be top dog for a manufacturer. But the current lawsuit puts their charter status up in the air.
3. Joe Gibbs Racing—coach hasn’t been shy about switching manufacturers in the past, and Dodge sponsorship money (similar to the old Evernham sponsorship deals) could plug some funding holes. But would Toyota let them leave?
2. Team Penske—they went from Dodge’s best team to Dodge’s only team, but would they return? Obviously they know how to be leaders, would likely prefer to be an unquestioned number one operation for a manufacturer, and The Captain has no real pre-existing connection to Ford. This could be an obvious landing spot.
1. HYPOTHETICAL NEW CUP TEAM—much like in 2001, Dodge and/or a venture capitalist could simply stake a team leader with a huge budget and sponsorship, purchase some charters, and let them lead a return to the Cup Series. Ironically this could see some of the Cup Series’s smallest teams cash out big with charter sales.
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