NASCAR: Ram CEO reveals bold Daytona aim as Dodge has 'full intention' of Cup Series return

Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has revealed that it's Dodge's 'full intention' to eventually return to the NASCAR Cup Series.

Stellantis - the parent company of both Dodge and Ram - is returning to NASCAR this year after an extended period out of the sport.

Ram is set to run five trucks in the Truck Series this campaign, having agreed a deal with Kaulig Racing during the 2025 season.

Kaulig and Ram have already signed some very exciting drivers and revealed innovative new ways to engage the NASCAR fanbase, including getting three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart to race for them at Daytona next month.

Kuniskis: Dodge intends to return to Cup Series

During a media call with Stewart and Kuniskis this week, the latter revealed that Stellantis entering the Truck Series with Ram is just the first step on this journey, and that it is the brand's 'full intention' to go Cup racing eventually.

“We were trying to get back into NASCAR for many years, and we were trying to come back in through Cup first with Dodge,” Kuniskis told Oval Insider and other media.

“And for some reason, the lightbulb never went off, and then it did go off, it dawned on us that it would be a lot easier to come in through trucks first because of the spec chassis, spec engine, and all of that stuff, and ease our way into it with the full intention to go to Cup.

“We could never get somebody like Kaulig to work with us if we didn’t have the sincere intention to try to get to Cup. That’s not an announcement, that’s not saying we’re going to Cup, but we have every intention to want to get there.”

Ambitious Daytona aim

Kuniskis continued, reflecting on the huge changes the sport has seen since Dodge last raced in the Cup Series at the end of 2012, revealing a very ambitious aim he has that people have told him is impossible.

“The sport has changed so much since we left,” he continued. “There was no such thing as a charter when we left; it is significantly more complicated than it was when we left.

“So our full intention is to go to Cup, but it is very very complicated with the simulators and the engine program and all that stuff, so we'll see.

"But we're really happy to be able to get in with Truck now, and I told everybody our goal would be to get into Cup [at] Daytona next year, and so far, every single person has told me that's absolutely impossible and I’m crazy and it’s never gonna happen.

“I don’t know, I’m not giving up yet.”

When is Ram returning to NASCAR?

Ram's Truck Series return is scheduled for February 13 at Daytona International Speedway.

The race, titled the Fresh From Florida 250, is set to start at 7:30pm ET and will be broadcast live on FS1, with radio coverage also available on SiriusXM and NASCAR Racing Network.