NASCAR chief drops fifth OEM tease just days after shunning ‘BS’ about his fourth manufacturer comments

For a very long time, NASCAR has been playing with the idea of adding a fourth manufacturer to its roster. However, NASCAR President Steve Phelps thinks that the ideal number is five.

His latest comments on the matter came days after his interview with Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern earlier this month, where he told Stern that he wasn’t really sure about the timing of it.

“There’s no BS in the comment I just made,” Phelps said at the time.

He sat with Stern just recently and explained the benefits of having five OEMs join forces with NASCAR. The way he sees it, more OEMs will provide additional funding, which a few of the teams are currently missing out on.

However, the timing for the same remains uncertain for now. Phelps said,

“Listen, we're in some discussions. It's a lot of work, right? There's a lot of prep work that needs to happen even if we came to an agreement today. I don't know what that timing is; to me, it's really more about getting it done, making an announcement for a fourth, ideally we'd have a fifth.” (2:40)

As of today, NASCAR works closely with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. Adding even a fourth company to the grid, said Phelps, will make the big three happy, given that it will create a balance.

“Kind of creates more balance obviously but also it allows for additional funding to teams that are to really getting the funding that some of the other teams are getting,” Phelps noted. I think there's a lot of benefits to having a new OE come in.” (3:01)

There have been talks of Honda joining the sport. Some fans are currently speculating about the return of Dodge, which left NASCAR following the 2012 season. Just recently, Catchfence.com has confirmed that Dodge could actually make its long-awaited return in 2026.

Could NASCAR be dealing with the Dodges in 2026?

Throwback to 2012; Brad Keselowski won his lone NASCAR Cup Series title driving the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger. But as the season started nearing its end, Team Penske chose to switch to Ford. Dodge had to sever ties with its only alliance in the sport, and thus leave the realm of American open-wheel racing.

To the glee of many, Dodge is expected to return, albeit in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2026. The following story by reporter Steven Cole Smith says,

“Catchfence.com has confirmed that NASCAR has received a formal submission from a manufacturer aiming to join Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota in the series next year. According to sources, Dodge is the leading candidate to return to the sport.”

However, this is the NextGen era and to compete with the existing manufacturers in the sport, Dodge might need a new engine, most likely for its new Charger. But that’s only if they plan on joining the Cup Series in the foreseeable future.

But Catchfence.com did write,

“Dodge is also searching for an engine manufacturer to provide power for a potential return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2028.”

With Dodge more or less confirmed to join NASCAR next year (given that there isn’t any official release yet), the question now remains: Who is going to be the fifth OEM that Phelps was talking about during his interview with SBJ.