Dodge is officially back in the NASCAR Cup Series, but an abbreviated timeline creates a challenge for Kaulig Racing moving forward.
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The two-car team will have very little time to get the approved body panels and then build cars before heading to Daytona International Speedway for the Clash on Feb. 13, 2027.
Kaulig Racing is not officially in the preseason exhibition event, but NASCAR says it's more than likely that they will find a way to have a Dodge in the Clash.
"We'll have those production panels in, I think, a little under two weeks, so we'll be done with our season," John Probst, president of NASCAR Event Management, said during a media session late Monday night.
"They're certainly not going to have a ton of time to prep cars and get ready for the Clash, but this was done about as fast as we can do it once they decided to go."
This abbreviated timeline is not necessarily one that NASCAR forced on Kaulig Racing or Dodge. Other factors simply played a role.
Back on June 8, 2025, Probst met with media members to discuss Stellantis returning to NASCAR after more than a decade away.
This press conference focused on the Stellantis-owned Ram brand taking on the Craftsman Truck Series, but Probst also addressed questions about the company's future in the Cup Series.
He said that onboarding a new OEM would be an 18-month process, largely due to the submission process for the body.
Photo credit: Stellantis
Fast-forward to Nov. 2, 2026, and that timeline did not change. He said that Dodge and Kaulig Racing were on that 18-month path, but the situation changed during the process.
"I think that we've done it a little bit more abbreviated because there was a notice of submission of a Dodge, and then it went quiet, and then it picked up a lot of steam very quick," Probst said.
"So we're able to combine a lot of the milestones, but it's still a year or more process to go through the whole thing. So this one came right up against it."
Ultimately, the exoskeleton used in the numerous wind tunnel tests fit into the box that NASCAR designed for the Gen 7 car. This made it possible for them to manufacture the body panels and prepare for the next step in the process.
Once these panels arrive, the Dodge Cup Series car will go back into the wind tunnel to ensure it still fits into the performance box. The expectation is that this will also pass. Probst said that NASCAR has not had any real instances of an exoskeleton passing the tests and then body panels later failing.
Once the body panels are approved, Kaulig Racing will begin building its cars for the 2027 season. This creates another challenge, one that NASCAR could help the team overcome. Though a final decision is not yet made.
Probst said that the NASCAR Rule Book does not currently allow for a new OEM to conduct tests ahead of its first season in the sport. That will potentially change.
NASCAR has circled Nov. 15 as the launch date for the 2027 Rule Book, so discussions will take place before that date regarding Dodge's return and any potential test sessions.
Regardless of how those discussions progress, Kaulig Racing will have no time to rest before prepping for the 2027 season. The team will take part in more wind tunnel tests, unveil the new Cup Series body on Dec. 4 at the Snowball Derby, and prep as many cars as allowed before heading to Daytona.
