Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares his hot take on Dodge’s potential return to NASCAR as the 4th OEM

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the NASCAR veteran, expressed his excitement about a potential new OEM joining the Cup Series. Dodge is expected to be the OEM in question.

Dodge has had a storied history with NASCAR, with its involvement starting in the 1950s and achieving immense success in the 1970s when legendary drivers like Richard Petty and Bobby Allison brought the manufacturer Cup Series trophies. However, by the 2010s the manufacturer started facing financial difficulty in managing the role of the OEM and ended their Cup Series participation in 2012. Dodge officially ended its involvement with NASCAR in 2016.

Recent reports have indicated that Dodge is planning a return to NASCAR where they will begin providing their vehicles to the teams in the Truck Series from the start of the 2026 season under the Ram brand. It’s also expected that they will return to the Cup Series as early as 2027 or 2028. The move is similar to the one Toyota made when it started out on its Cup Series journey as an OEM.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the NASCAR legend, seemed excited as he spoke about this potential return. He focused on the historical relevance of the manufacturer returning to the sport and what they have fielded previously in the Cup Series. Talking about the same on his podcast, Dale Download Jr, he said:

"Dodge has got such a cool reputation. They've had some ups and downs over the past several decades, but in my eyes, they're still a true muscle car brand. The Dodge Charger from the 70s, a beautiful vehicle, historic. The Challenger, a lot of great vehicles come out of that brand. The Ram. Yeah, the Ram truck. Yeah, it's just a cool brand. I'm thrilled that they're considering a return, and I hope it's a successful one, to be honest with you. It's good for the sport, I think."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is set to return to racing in 2025 with a limited schedule. He has confirmed participation in the Cook Out 225 ZMax CARS Tour race at Florence Motor Speedway on August 29. His team JR Motorsports, is also making strides as they made their Cup Series debut at the Great American Race this month, with Justin Allgaier finishing at an impressive 9th place.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. delivered a blunt verdict on Carson Hocevar after Atlanta chaos

Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks with Jimmie Johnson during qualifying for the Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also weighed in on Carson Hocevar's aggressive driving during the Atlanta Motor Speedway race, stating that veteran drivers need to step in and provide guidance.

“The veterans need to get him in the headlock in the garage and say, ‘Look man, you're great, you got talent. You need to clean this sh*t up,’ you know,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

“He does want his peers to respect him. We all want that,” he added.

The most controversial incident occurred late in the race when Hocevar attempted a three-wide maneuver, costing his Chevrolet teammate, Ross Chastain, a chance at victory.