MBM Motorsports Teases the Return of Dodge to the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series
The question of whether Dodge returned to Cup in 2027 had a domino fall this past weekend. In the Craftsman Truck Series, MBM Motorsports, owned by former NASCAR journeyman Carl Long, announced that they have purchased a Dodge Ram body for their team for late-model driver Jonathan Shafer. A picture on their Instagram and Facebook accounts shows the 69 truck with a Ram front end. Long also owns a team in the NASCAR Cup Series called Garage 66, which runs part-time with Casey Mears, Timmy Hill, and Chad Finchum. Could Garage 66 and MBM Motorsports be the team to bring Dodge back to the Cup Series next season?
MBM has a history with Dodge. After Dodge left the sport in 2012, MBM bought discounted bodies and parts for their NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series entries, the 40 and 66. These were known as ‘Zombie Dodges’, and put Long’s small team on the map. The team ran these ‘Zombie Dodges’ from 2013 until the switch to composite O’Reilly Series bodies in 2019. It seems that the relationship between the Roxboro, North Carolina, native and Dodge has not dwindled as of 2026.
According to Jayski, a premier site for NASCAR news and updates, Dodge is “increasingly likely to return to the Cup Series in 2027”. No model has been revealed for the series yet, but a Dodge Challenger body has reportedly undergone wind tunnel testing. Stellantis, the company that owns Dodge, said that the current focus is producing modern Cup Series engines. Another challenge proposed is the potential need for a charter increase to accommodate the return of the manufacturer. Garage 66, as well as Kaulig Racing, owned by LeafFilter CEO Matt Kaulig, are both heavily connected to Dodge. Kaulig is already chartered, but Long would need to purchase a charter to race a Dodge full-time.
With two Cup Series teams now running Dodges in their Truck Series organizations, Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series next season is becoming increasingly more likely. Brad Keselowski has said he would like to see his team, RFK Racing, switch to Dodge and reunite him with his old manufacturer. ‘Bad Brad’ won his only Cup Series Championship in 2012 in a Dodge, beating Jimmie Johnson. Since Garage 66 and RFK both currently run Fords, a partnership with Keselowski could allow Long to get Garage 66 a charter and add more Dodges to the full-time lineup. While that partnership is only speculation, Garage 66 partnering with Dodge in the Cup Series as a part-time team is becoming more likely in 2027.
