Dodge’s exit from NASCAR in 2012 was as dramatic as it was decisive. Despite Brad Keselowski steering the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger for Team Penske to a win, Roger Penske’s decision to move to Ford left Dodge without a top-tier partner. It then pulled the plug, bowing out of the Cup Series after its most successful season in decades. That left NASCAR in pursuit of a coveted fourth manufacturer. The hunt has been filled with rumors and speculation, but it has never delivered concrete results until now.

That long wait officially ended with the announcement that Ram will return to NASCAR in 2026, reviving its presence in the Craftsman Truck Series. The reveal, branded “Ram-Demption,” took place at Michigan International Speedway in June of this year. NASCAR’s 2025 season will be the last year featuring just three OEMs (Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota); with Ram’s return, the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series will showcase four manufacturers. But what obstacles have kept new OEMs on the sidelines this long?

Steve O’Donnell reveals the obstacles holding back new OEMs

For Steve O’Donnell, the crux of NASCAR’s challenge in adding new manufacturers comes down to a single technical factor: engine architecture. “I think the biggest one has really been around the engine architecture,” O’Donnell explained in a YouTube video, when asked about potential OEM entries. NASCAR has deliberately kept horsepower “within the range that we do or a little bit more,” a move O’Donnell says has opened the door to conversations with multiple automakers.

Had the sport gone the other direction, “if you were to take kind of just a V8 and say it’s a 1000 horsepower, maybe you’d have Dodge and that’s about it,” then expansion would have been limited. By resisting an arms race in horsepower, NASCAR has created conditions that appeal not only to Dodge but also to other manufacturers evaluating the Cup Series.

That balance between tradition and accessibility is shaping how new OEMs engage with the sport. O’Donnell acknowledged that Dodge’s departure “was tough” in 2012, but praised its comeback messaging: “We love kind of what they’re embracing coming back to the Americana and the brand. I think it matches right up with where we want to be.” Ram’s confirmed Truck Series entry in 2026 is the first tangible sign of Stellantis’ return, and O’Donnell is clear that the door to Cup is open: “If we can do our jobs correctly, we will see them continue to move up into the Cup Series. And that’ll be awesome.”

And if the rumors are to be believed, then Dodge is expected to return to NASCAR in 2026, most likely joining the Truck Series. Reportedly, the manufacturer is talking to more than just Truck Series organizations in NASCAR. As per The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, Dodge has talked to “at least” one current NASCAR Cup Series organization about switching manufacturers. Though several teams, like RFK Racing and Kaulig Racing, would be good candidates to switch to Dodge, it is yet not public knowledge which team would work with the manufacturer.

Looking ahead, O’Donnell sees a clear target. “I’d say if we can get to five OEMs, that would be a really good balance for the sport. But if we’re at four, we’d be pretty happy as well.” With Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota already entrenched, and Ram stepping in to make four OEMs for the first time since Toyota’s debut in 2004, the foundation is in place. If the rumors turn out to be true, Honda might join as the fifth OEM after leaving Roger Penske’s partnership at IndyCar.

While that’s some hopeful update, the picture has not been exactly rosy on other fronts for the sport. Take, for example, the noise surrounding the playoff formats, the falling viewership, and well, the heightened chatter around Next Gen cars.

Richard Petty backs son Kyle Petty amidst Dale Jr.’s criticism of Next Gen cars

The clash over NASCAR’s Next Gen car has escalated beyond Kyle Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr., with seven-time champion Richard Petty now weighing in. Earnhardt Jr. has been one of the loudest critics of the car, blasting its sports car DNA on the Dale Jr. Download: “I don’t love [that] it’s an IMSA car, it’s a sports car, it’s got a diffuser, it’s got low profile tires, it’s got big rims and brakes, and it’s a sports car. It’s not a NASCAR stock car.” Those words sparked Kyle Petty’s rebuttal, arguing that stock cars in their purest form disappeared decades ago, setting up a stubborn but respectful ideological clash between two second-generation NASCAR voices.

Now, Richard Petty has entered the conversation. Speaking on the Petty Race Recap, he admitted there’s no single fix to the car’s flaws. “It’s going to be a combination of things. Whether they give more horsepower, or whether they raise them up off the ground a little bit, or whether they take some of the aero deals away… whatever it takes.” While echoing Kyle’s sentiment that the Next Gen is “as far away from a stock car as we’ve ever been,” Petty stressed that the car represents an “evolution” in the sport.

The push for a new OEM perfectly underscores why the Next Gen car exists in the first place. By streamlining costs, standardizing parts, and enhancing brand identity on track, the platform was built to make NASCAR more appealing to manufacturers that once viewed stock car racing as too expensive or outdated. A fresh OEM entry would not only validate the car’s design philosophy but also ignite a new era of competition and brand rivalry that fans have been craving.