Ram will return to NASCAR next year in the third-tier Truck Series, a comeback the Stellantis-owned brand believes is the first step toward launching a stock-car program in the top-tier Cup Series.
Ram, which left NASCAR after the 2012 season, will race in the Truck Series alongside rivals Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. Ram becomes the first new manufacturer to enter NASCAR at the national level since 2007.
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis made the announcement Sunday before the Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Kuniskis has bold goals and ideas — he has vowed to make 25 product announcements over 18 months — and he said Ram will enter its trucks aggressively with the intention to be disruptive.
“The way we’re going to do it is unlike anyone else,” Kuniskis said. “The reason that we’ve been out of NASCAR for 12 years is a very tough (return on investment); it is a very tough business decision to make. But when we say we’re back, when we say nothing stops Ram, when we bring the Hemi (engine) back, when we bring some of the other stuff that we haven’t shown you, it makes perfect sense to be back in the space and back up.”
Kuniskis said Ram will tap into NASCAR’s estimated fan base of 20 million “and turn it into 80 or 100 million.”