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www.nascar.com

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

Kaden Honeycutt charges to Homestead victory and NASCAR Truck Series title

 

November 6, 2026

 

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Under caution with 27 laps left in Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Chase leader Kaden Honeycutt was debating whether to pit for his last set of fresh tires.

 

“I say we pit, put ‘em on and go for it,” Honeycutt radioed to crew chief Scott Zipadelli.

 

That’s exactly what Honeycutt did. Gaining the lead after a restart on Lap 121 of 134, he pulled away from runner-up Christian Eckes to win not only the race but his first series championship.

 

Knowing the title was his—and screaming with raw emotion—Honeycutt powered his No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota across the finish line 1.038 seconds ahead of Eckes to score his fifth victory of the season, his first at 1.5-mile Homestead and the fifth of his career.

 

“Man, this is amazing,” Honeycutt exulted. “I've worked so damn hard to be here. Thank you to every owner, thank you everybody that's let me drive the race car for them, whether it was dirt, asphalt, road course, doesn't matter.

 

“That is because of you guys I'm sitting right here with this group behind me as champions. I'm so out of breath, I wish I could talk harder. Thank you, fans, for showing up. We just won Homestead and the damn championship.”

 

Honeycutt’s decision to abandon the conservative approach he had adopted early in the race paid enormous dividends.

 

“The first half of the race I did not want to push it too hard,” he said. “It fell in our hands. I put my nuts on the dash and wanted to win the race.”

 

The drivers’ championship was the 11th in the series for Toyota, achieved in the same No. 11 Toyota Corey Heim drove to a single-season-record 12 victories and the championship last year.

 

Billed as a shootout between Honeycutt and Layne Riggs, the head-to-head battle never materialized. After side-to-side contact with the No. 77 Chevrolet of pole winner Nick Sanchez on Lap 2, Riggs No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford was never the same.

 

The contact cut Riggs’ right rear tire, forcing him to pit road on Lap 17. At the end of Stage 1, Riggs stayed on the track to take a wave-around, but on Lap 46, he pitted again with a shredded right rear.

 

A pass-through penalty for too many crew members over the wall on his stop left him seven laps down. Ultimately, Riggs finished 32nd and ended the season second in the series standings, 83 points behind Honeycutt.

 

“After that initial contact, I don't know what happened to the 77 (Sanchez),” Riggs said of the run-in that cost him a shot at the title. “I thought I was good. They said we were close together. I got super free up under him. Next thing I knew, we got a tire down.”

 

Then the second flat tire cost Riggs any hope he might have had.

 

“Obviously, we weren't able to put the consistency together to be champions tonight,” Riggs said. “We knew we were going to have to run an almost perfect race. That's hard to do anytime, any series, any level and division.

 

“But I'm just proud of the entire team that we were even in the mix, we even had a chance to become champion. It was disappointing to know I didn't even know what my truck was going to be.”

 

Daniel Hemric, Eckes’ teammate at McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, finished third, followed by Ty Majeski and Stewart Friesen. Heim was sixth in the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota after winning the first and second stages.

 

Despite competing in only nine of the 25 Truck Series races, Heim scored three victories this season and finished 17th in the points.

 

Chandler Smith, Jake Garcia, Grant Enfinger and Corey LaJoie completed the top 10. Smith finished third in the final standings behind Riggs, his teammate.

 

Zipadelli claimed his second straight championship as a crew chief, having guided Heim to the title last season. Honeycutt gave Zipadelli enormous credit for his steady-handed encouragement.

 

“Scott Zipadelli is the best damn crew chief on that pit road,” Honeycutt asserted. “He's the best man out there. He's not just a Hall of Fame crew chief, he's a Hall of Fame man. He's done nothing but mentor me and make me better every single week.”

 

Obviously, the guidance bore fruit on Friday night.

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead, Florida

Friday, November 6, 2026

 

                1. (5)  Kaden Honeycutt (C), Toyota, 134.

                2. (17)  Christian Eckes (C), Chevrolet, 134.

                3. (16)  Daniel Hemric (C), Chevrolet, 134.

                4. (10)  Ty Majeski (C), Ford, 134.

                5. (6)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 134.

                6. (3)  Corey Heim (C), Toyota, 134.

                7. (2)  Chandler Smith (C), Ford, 134.

                8. (24)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 134.

                9. (13)  Grant Enfinger (C), Chevrolet, 134.

                10. (26)  Corey LaJoie, RAM, 134.

                11. (7)  Giovanni Ruggiero (C), Toyota, 134.

                12. (32)  Mason Massey, Chevrolet, 134.

                13. (20)  Ben Rhodes (C), Ford, 134.

                14. (14)  Landen Lewis (C), Chevrolet, 134.

                15. (23)  Parker Kligerman, RAM, 134.

                16. (9)  Connor Mosack (C), Chevrolet, 134.

                17. (27)  Timmy Hill, Ford, 134.

                18. (12)  Connor Hall, Chevrolet, 134.

                19. (19)  Justin Haley, RAM, 134.

                20. (21)  Brenden Queen #, RAM, 134.

                21. (25)  Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, 134.

                22. (15)  Cole Butcher #, Ford, 134.

                23. (31)  Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 134.

                24. (29)  Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 134.

                25. (28)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 134.

                26. (30)  Spencer Davis, Toyota, 134.

                27. (8)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 134.

                28. (33)  Frankie Muniz, Ford, 133.

                29. (11)  Leland Honeyman Jr., Toyota, 133.

                30. (35)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 132.

                31. (34)  Clayton Green, Ford, 131.

                32. (4)  Layne Riggs (C), Ford, 128.

                33. (22)  Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, Accident, 115.

                34. (18)  Tyler Ankrum (C), Chevrolet, Accident, 115.

                35. (1)  Nick Sanchez (C), Chevrolet, Driveshaft, 104.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  114.73 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 45 Mins, 7 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.038 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  4 for 25 laps.

Lead Changes:  20 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Smith (C) 1-2;N. Sanchez (C) 3-10;C. Heim (C) 11-33;N. Sanchez (C) 34;C. Heim (C) 35-37;K. Honeycutt (C) 38;D. Hemric (C) 39-46;C. Heim (C) 47-62;N. Sanchez (C) 63;C. Heim (C) 64-66;C. Smith (C) 67;C. Eckes (C) 68-97;C. Mosack (C) 98-99;G. Ruggiero (C) 100;C. Butcher # 101;C. Eckes (C) 102-109;K. Honeycutt (C) 110;C. Mosack (C) 111-113;C. Eckes (C) 114-121;K. Honeycutt (C) 122-134.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Christian Eckes (C) 3 times for 46 laps; Corey Heim (C) 4 times for 45 laps; Kaden Honeycutt (C) 3 times for 15 laps; Nick Sanchez (C) 3 times for 10 laps; Daniel Hemric (C) 1 time for 8 laps; Connor Mosack (C) 2 times for 5 laps; Chandler Smith (C) 2 times for 3 laps; Cole Butcher # 1 time for 1 lap; Giovanni Ruggiero (C) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 1,77,11,19,38,88,9,91,52,98

Stage #2 Top Ten: 1,19,77,91,88,11,38,52,17,15

 

--30--

 

Chandler Smith steals win at Martinsville as teammate Riggs shrinks championship points deficit

David Jensen | Getty Images

Oct. 30, 2026

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Chandler Smith muscled to the lead on a restart with 12 laps remaining to take the trophy in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Black’s Tires 200 at Martinsville (Va) Speedway.

 

The 24-year old Georgia-native pulled ahead of his Front Row Motorsports teammate and the night’s most dominant driver, Layne Riggs, who started alongside him on the front row for that final green-flag run. And while Smith went on to earn his first famous Martinsville grandfather clock trophy - by .574-second over ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes – the outcome ultimately made his teammate Riggs’ title hopes just a bit harder heading into next week’s championship finale.

 

Riggs, who finished third, now trails TRICON Garage driver Kaden Honeycutt by 20 points with one race remaining to settle the title. Had Riggs, who swept both stage wins and led a race best 156 of the 200 laps won, would have taken the points lead by one point.

 

Honeycutt finished 14th after some jostling of his own with 16-year old rookie pole-winner Tristan McKee in typically tight Martinsville traffic during those closing laps.

 

“Just God’s plan,’’ said Smith, who now has three wins in the No. 38 Front Row Ford this season. “We’ve been through a very rough patch since the Chase started and we’ve kept our heads down and we’ve stayed faithful. I’m truly humbled right now for this experience. Martinsville’s been one on my bucket list to win for a quite a while.”

 

Riggs was immediately congratulatory to his teammate despite the obvious disappointment after having turned in such a strong showing on the famed .526-mile track.

 

“First off, congratulations to Chandler Smith my teammate; he drove a really good race and won, so really happy for those guys - it’s been a little while for them, so happy for them,’’ said Riggs, who conceded having to take the bottom line beside his teammate on the final restart did not work out.

 

“Just too free to fire off on restarts when the rubber got picked up and really free up under Chandler and really free up under the 99 [Rhodes], just could not get going on that last restart’’ he continued. “I did the best I could, just didn’t have the clean air like on those other runs. Believe it or not, clean air means more here than so many other tracks.

 

“But hey, we’ve still got a shot and gained more [points] than we were down, so happy about that,’’ Riggs continued. “Wanted that clock so bad, but the way it looks, I think it’s going to be me or the 11 [Honeycutt] wins at Homestead, winner takes all.’’

 

Honeycutt ran top-10 most of the night but did not lead a lap. He was frustrated with the outcome, but as with Riggs, ready to take this championship to the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval next week.

 

“It’s a sucky-deal, but I got bailed out there especially with Chandler winning that race, I’m really surprised he went and did that,’’ Honeycutt said, acknowledging the contact and tight quarters were just part of hard-racing in the final laps at a short track.

 

“It’s 20 points [his lead], but definitely not comfortable. We’ve got to go win Homestead next week and just focus on winning. That’s all we can do.’’

 

Rhodes’ ThorSport teammate Ty Majeski finished fourth, completing the four-Ford sweep out front. McKee was fifth after becoming the youngest driver in history to win a pole position in the truck series.

 

Andres Perez de Lara was sixth with Tyler Ankrum, Gio Ruggero, William Sawalich and Christian Eckes rounding out the top-10.

 

There were only four race leaders and seven lead changes on the evening so dominated by Riggs.

 

Teams head to South Florida for next Friday’s season finale, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson won the last truck race there in March, 2025.

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - Black's Tire 200 presented by Down East Heating & Air Conditioning

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, Virginia

Friday, October 30, 2026

 

                    1. (3)  Chandler Smith (C), Ford, 200.

                    2. (4)  Ben Rhodes (C), Ford, 200.

                    3. (2)  Layne Riggs (C), Ford, 200.

                    4. (6)  Ty Majeski (C), Ford, 200.

                    5. (1)  Tristan McKee (C), Chevrolet, 200.

                    6. (13)  Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, 200.

                    7. (9)  Tyler Ankrum (C), Chevrolet, 200.

                    8. (11)  Giovanni Ruggiero (C), Toyota, 200.

                    9. (18)  William Sawalich(i), Toyota, 200.

                    10. (7)  Christian Eckes (C), Chevrolet, 200.

                    11. (19)  Grant Enfinger (C), Chevrolet, 200.

                    12. (20)  Brenden Queen #, RAM, 200.

                    13. (36)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 200.

                    14. (5)  Kaden Honeycutt (C), Toyota, 200.

                    15. (15)  Daniel Hemric (C), Chevrolet, 200.

                    16. (23)  Kasey Kleyn, Toyota, 200.

                    17. (25)  Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 200.

                    18. (10)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 200.

                    19. (12)  Landen Lewis (C), Chevrolet, 200.

                    20. (29)  Corey LaJoie, RAM, 200.

                    21. (28)  Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 200.

                    22. (22)  Cole Butcher #, Ford, 200.

                    23. (31)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 199.

                    24. (35)  Gavan Boschele (C), Toyota, 198.

                    25. (30)  Frankie Muniz, Ford, 198.

                    26. (26)  Josh Reaume, Ford, 198.

                    27. (16)  Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, 198.

                    28. (34)  Tyler Tomassi(i), RAM, 196.

                    29. (27)  Carson Ferguson, RAM, Accident, 179.

                    30. (14)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, Accident, 147.

                    31. (24)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, Accident, 146.

                    32. (33)  Justin Carroll, Toyota, Accident, 141.

                    33. (8)  Sammy Smith(i) (C), Chevrolet, Suspension, 129.

                    34. (17)  Justin Haley, RAM, Accident, 119.

                    35. (32)  Monty Tipton, Ford, Accident, 115.

                    36. (21)  Conner Jones, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 95.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  57.899 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 49 Mins, 1 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.574 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  9 for 67 laps.

Lead Changes:  7 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   L. Riggs (C) 1-109;T. McKee (C) 110;S. Friesen 111-113;L. Riggs (C) 114-125;T. McKee (C) 126-153;L. Riggs (C) 154-188;C. Smith (C) 189-200.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Layne Riggs (C) 3 times for 156 laps; Tristan McKee (C) 2 times for 29 laps; Chandler Smith (C) 1 time for 12 laps; Stewart Friesen 1 time for 3 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 34,77,38,99,88,91,11,18,44,17

Stage #2 Top Ten: 34,77,38,99,88,11,91,18,44,98

 

Layne Riggs’ title hopes unravel early in Homestead finale

 

November 6, 2026

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – There were plenty of smiles, handshakes, photo ops and “good luck” wishes alongside Layne Riggs’ No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford truck on pit road in the moments before Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race green flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

One of the team’s race sponsors, Bare Knuckles Boxing, had fighters surrounding Riggs’ truck, each boxer greeting the race “contender” - huge, shiny gold championship belts strategically placed over their shoulders in a showing of strength and solidarity for the racer.

 

Riggs appreciated the gesture and was smiling as he climbed into his Ford F150 and took his place behind the wheel, fourth on the starting grid – one position in front of his primary challenger for the 2026 series championship, TRICON Garage’s Kaden Honeycutt.

 

Yet the lengthy for all the pre-race positive vibes, Riggs’ championship hopes were essentially dashed only two laps into the race after colliding with the No. 77 Chevrolet driven by Nick Sanchez while the two were racing toward the front. The contact may have looked inconsequential, however there was enough damage to derail Rigg’s title run.

 

The 24-year-old second-generation NASCAR racer had to pit 14 laps later when his right rear tire finally went down as a result of the contact. He lost two laps as the team worked to make repairs to the right rear side, dropping to last in the 35-truck field. 

 

The team made another handful of stops throughout the night to continue working on the truck and Riggs was seven laps down by the end of Stage 2. It all relegated him to an excruciating evening at the rear of the field while his title rival Honeycutt claimed his fifth win of the season to earn the title – celebrating what’s been a highly-competitive year-long tussle for the series championship trophy.

 

When Riggs climbed back out of his Ford after the race, he was stand-up, even if heart-broken. He finished 32nd, six laps off the pace.

 

“Racing as a whole, you have a lot more disappointing days then you have exciting days and today just wasn’t that exciting day for us, I knew we’d have to have a Hail Mary to get it done," said Riggs, who said he would need to review video to see exactly what happened between himself and the 77-track in the early laps.

 

“The pressures weren’t even up on the tires yet and we were already out of contention, never knew how fast our truck was going to be," Riggs said. “We don’t even know what we were going to have and that’s what’s disappointing for me."

 

Despite the championship near-miss, it was an unquestionably break-out season for the North Carolinian Riggs, whose seven wins on the year more than doubled his total from any other season. His 988 laps out front also nearly doubled that of any other driver (Honeycutt led 592 laps).

 

He claimed trophies in the series’ St. Petersburg street course debut answering with a win in the inaugural San Diego street race with victories at Nashville, Indianapolis Raceway Park, New Hampshire and a Charlotte two-race sweep.

 

“Regroup and be better and look at all the positives that we had," Riggs said of the offseason. “Just excited for next year. I’ve made solid progression every single year I’ve been in the truck series, and I feel like I’m still progressing and maturing every single race as a driver and just super thankful to be on the race track and have top-notch equipment.

 

“Obviously, this day was a disappointment but I’m not going to be a bad look on the season, this was one race and we knew it would be a Hail Mary to get it done anyway."

 

“I had a long time to think about it in the truck and I’m just thinking about the positives of the year we had," Riggs said. “It was going to take a lot of execution today to get it done and we knew it was going to be difficult no matter what. I’m just glad to put a pin in the end of the season knowing we tried our best."

 

--30--

-- 

 WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR

www.nascar.com

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

 

National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

www.nascar.com

 

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

 

NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell sees encouraging momentum within the sport

 

November 6, 2026

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — In his first “State of the Sport” news conference as NASCAR CEO, Steve O’Donnell accentuated the positives—and there was much to accentuate.

 

O’Donnell took to the dais at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the announcement of car maker Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series less than a week old.

 

The return to Homestead for the season finale also coincided with the adoption of a multi-race Chase format for determining the champions in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series this year.

 

Gone were the headwinds of a lawsuit overhanging the industry during last year’s Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Last December, NASCAR reached an amicable settlement of the suit brought by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.

 

During the months that followed, the sport has seen significant increases in attendance at its races—notably among younger fans—a burgeoning social media presence and a year-long partnership with the CW network that has elevated the prominence of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

 

O’Donnell condensed his synopsis of the 2026 season into a single statement: “NASCAR has encouraging momentum, but we have work to do.”

 

“Looking back,” he added, “I think there's a lot for the entire industry to be proud of. Our teams and drivers have given us terrific competition. Fans are coming out to the race track. New brands are investing in the sport like never before.

 

“It's been a long time since you've seen the activation from sponsors around our teams and drivers, which is terrific.”

 

O’Donnell also highlighted the return of the Chase, which has played out differently in all three series. On the NASCAR Cup side, Kyle Larson has raced into a dominant position with one event left, needing to score a 28th-place finish in Sunday’s Championship Race to secure his third title.

 

The O’Reilly Series, on the other hand, features a five-driver free-for-all, with veteran Justin Allgaier enjoying a slim 22-point lead at the top of the Chase standings. In the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs were set to go head-to-head for the title on Friday night.

 

“The return of the Chase, at least in my opinion, has put the focus back where it belongs, on the performance week-in and week-out for the drivers,” O’Donnell said. “If you look at the championship media session for the Cup Series this weekend, there was one driver in there.

 

“I would say that's successful. We looked at one driver who's had an outstanding Chase, and that's where the focus should be, in my opinion.”

 

O’Donnell also stressed the importance of expanding the television audience for all three national series.

 

“Television audience, which we all focus on as one of many factors for the sport, is consistently strong and it remains so, but it's a focus for our entire industry and will be in the coming years,” he said. “We've all seen the numbers, and I think it's important to really look at where NASCAR is.

 

“If you compared NASCAR to a new sport that's just emerging, you'd say it's an incredible success story: Consistently large television audience, 36 straight weekends; it's amongst the largest in sports.

 

“But the audience can and will grow, and that's an area of focus for all of us in the industry as we go forward.”

 

Dodge announced on Monday that it would return to the Cup Series for the first time since 2012. Kaulig Racing will field two Cup entries for the 2027 season. O’Donnell also indicated NASCAR is having ongoing world-wide discussions with other potential OEMs.

 

“It's going to be fun seeing what Dodge does,” he said. “We're going to be all around the globe looking at new OEMs, for sure, but happy that we got a fourth. Happy to say that versus saying, well, we're looking at it, for sure.”

 

Named NASCAR CEO in April, O’Donnell pointed to five pillars crucial to NASCAR’s future growth: competition, audience growth and engagement, schedule and media strategy, international expansion and at-track fan development.

 

“I'm excited about the future, and most particularly I'm excited about our team and the folks who are going to work together, because I think for the first time in a long, long time there's alignment on where we're going,” O’Donnell said.

 

“We do the blocking and tackling race-to-race really, really well. The five-year plan of where we're going hasn't been something we've focused on as an industry. That's all changed, and we're coming together to work together to really grow this sport.”

 

Other important subjects raised during the discussion included NASCAR’s ongoing commitment to safety; the highlighting of rivalries between team principals; the continuing development of competition packages, including possible augmentation of horsepower; partnerships with United States Armed Forces that could take NASCAR racing to military bases—such as Coronado—in underserved markets; and the possibility of stand-alone O’Reilly Series races on weekdays.

 

One change that will be coming is the metric used for ordering the starting fields in the case of qualifying rainouts. This year, the metric was weighted more heavily toward finishing position in the previous race, a formula that proved burdensome during the Chase.

 

“This had been put in place back in COVID, and I think everybody just didn't see it or didn't read it, and all of a sudden we got rain, rain, rain, and it became a big issue or a big talking point,” O’Donnell said. “So that is something we'll look at.

 

“We're also looking at tweaking qualifying a little bit at select events as well that I think the fans will embrace. Nothing to announce today, but we've got some good things working in the off-season, not only about tweaking what you talked about, but some different formats we can explore as well.”

 

(John Probst, NASCAR President of Event Management, later confirmed that starting order will revert to owner points alone in the case of canceled qualifying sessions.)

 

O’Donnell prefaced his remarks with recognition of the profound loss of champion driver Kyle Busch, who died from a sudden illness in May.

 

“It's tough to not talk about Kyle when you're back in Miami,” O’Donnell said. “An extraordinary competitor, two-time champion in our sport and won the championship here, and I think he's left a forever mark on our sport.

 

“I said this back at Charlotte and it still stands today, and it'll stand forever really, and that's to (widow) Samantha, (son) Brexton and (daughter) Lennix, they're always going to be a part of the NASCAR family.

 

“We all miss Kyle. It's not the same without him in terms of celebrating a championship, especially how he embraced this place, but he's going to be with us for years and years to come.”

 

--30--

 

 

Dodge is back: Charger returns to NASCAR Cup Series in 2027

 

November 2, 2026

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Tim Kuniskis kept his promise.

 

Last June at Michigan International Speedway, as the Stellantis brand executive announced RAM's advent into the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Kuniskis also asserted that Dodge planned to return to NASCAR Cup Series racing.

 

That promise is now reality, as Dodge will join NASCAR’s top division in 2027—perhaps sooner than expected.

 

Kaulig Racing, which ran five Ram entries in the Craftsman Truck Series this season, will field two Dodge Chargers in the Cup Series next year.

 

“Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, 'Watch this,'" said Kuniskis, head of American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection division, Stellantis North America.

 

“Sure, we could spend three years planning, testing and perfecting. ... or we could do all three in real time, on the track. It's going to be exponentially harder this way. But slow has never been part of Dodge DNA. LFG.”

 

Dodge last raced in the Cup Series in 2012 and departed after Brad Keselowski won the series title with Team Penske that year. During NASCAR Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kaulig Racing will announce its driver lineup for the 2027 season.

 

This season, AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon drive Cup cars for the organization, which will transition from Chevrolet to Dodge in time for the season-opening DAYTONA 500 on Feb. 21.

 

Details on the engine builder for the Dodge Chargers will be released later.

 

“Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series is a significant milestone for the sport,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a statement. “This commitment speaks to Dodge’s belief in our sport and gives fans another reason to be excited about what’s ahead.

 

“The partnership between NASCAR, Tim Kuniskis and the entire team at Stellantis has been nothing short of phenomenal. They have a deep passion for NASCAR and its ability to showcase the world’s top brands, and we can’t wait to see Dodge on the racetrack for the DAYTONA 500 and beyond.”

 

Stellantis established its presence in NASCAR racing this season with its five entries in the Craftsman Truck Series. Justin Haley’s fourth-place result in the fall race at Bristol Motor Speedway has been the high-water mark for the brand thus far.

 

As Kuniskis indicated, the return of Dodge follows an expedited schedule under which NASCAR already has approved the Charger body for next season.

 

On a Zoom call with reporters on Monday night, NASCAR President of Event Management John Probst said the typical timeline for a new OEM is 18 months.

 

“I think we’ve done it a little bit more abbreviated,” Probst said of Dodge’s entry, “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, so we were able to combine a lot of the milestones.

 

“It’s still a year or more process to go through the whole thing, so this one came right up against it. We’ll have those production panels in a little under two weeks, so we’ll be done with our season.

 

“They’re certainly not going to have a ton of time to prep cars and get ready for the Clash (Wheatley Vodka Clash exhibition race on Feb. 13 at Daytona), but this was done about as fast as fast as we can do it once they decided to go.”

 

 

 

FEDEX FREIGHT  truck series Whelen Modified Tour

 

2027 NASCAR TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE

Date

Event / Racetrack

Friday, February 19

Daytona International Speedway

Saturday, February 27

EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)

Saturday, March 6

Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Friday, April 2

Darlington Raceway

Friday, April 9

Bristol Motor Speedway

Friday, April 30

Texas Motor Speedway

Saturday, May 8

Kansas Speedway

Friday, May 21

North Wilkesboro Speedway

Friday, May 28

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Friday, June 4

Nashville Superspeedway

Friday, June 11

Pocono Raceway

Saturday, June 19

Michigan International Speedway

Saturday, July 10

Lime Rock Park

Saturday, July 17

EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta)

Friday, July 23

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

Thursday, August 12

Bristol Motor Speedway

Friday, August 20

Bowman Gray Stadium

Sunday, September 5

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park

Saturday, September 25

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Friday, October 1

Kansas Speedway

Friday, October 15

Charlotte Motor Speedway

Friday, October 22

Phoenix Raceway

Friday, October 29

Talladega Superspeedway

Friday, November 5

Martinsville Speedway

Friday, November 12

NASCAR Championship (Homestead-Miami Speedway)
 

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