Don’t look for Dodge in NASCAR in 2018, but after that …
By Nick Tylwalk
Rumors of a Dodge return to NASCAR’s top series won’t go away, but it likely won’t happen next season.
It’s been five years since Chrysler stopped supporting stock car racing at the highest level, meaning only the rare XFINITY Series still runs a Dodge. That could be changing soon — but probably not in 2018.
NBC Sports talked to David Wilson, Toyota Racing Development president, for its NASCAR on NBC podcast. Wilson addressed the persistent rumors of a Dodge return or another manufacturer (Honda?) joining the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and explained why it could be coming in 2019 or beyond.
"“There are requirements and things to do to get your car approved that suggest it’s not on the doorstep,” Wilson said at Daytona for the upcoming episode of the podcast. “I don’t think we’ll be seeing any 2018 announcements"
Dodge and Chrysler have been off and on again presences in the sport dating back to the 1950s, but their last run in the Cup Series fizzled out in the 2012 season after a splashy return 11 years prior. An argument can certainly be made that brand loyalty isn’t what it once was in NASCAR, but having Dodge back in the fold would be the rare development that might spark interest among both longtime and newer fans.
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As Wilson suggests, the amount of time needed to get the approval of the sanctioning body and have card built is long enough that 2018 is almost certainly out of the question considering the 2018 Daytona 500 is less than a year away. But it wouldn’t be shocking, given the way this story refuses to go away, if there was an announcement concerning a 2019 Dodge return before the end of this year.