Kaulig Racing expanded its business venture this year, debuting in NASCAR’s Truck Series with the likes of Justin Haley, Mini Tyrrell, Brenden Queen, and the veteran Tony Stewart piloting for them. While this has been a massive upgrade for the team, their OEM, having made a striking return to NASCAR after 13 years, has also experienced massive gains within this year’s first quarter.

Stellantis experiences a massive jump in sales after the NASCAR return

Stellantis, parent brand to Ram, Dodge, and Jeep, experienced a massive 4% raise in its sales within 2026’s first quarter, compared to its sales last year. Ram and Jeep have been introducing some new vehicles and powertrains in the market, which is understood to be the key to the increase in sales.

Ram alone, who is also the NASCAR Truck Series OEM for Kaulig Racing, experienced a 20% jump in the first quarter sales, making it their highest recorded sales since 2023. This was led by a 9,000-unit increase in their pickup sales. Meanwhile, Dodge and Jeep together saw a modest 7% increase in sales. Safe to say, it was Ram that experienced the biggest sales increase.

“We continued to build strong momentum with 4% year-over-year growth and improving market share in an industry that is forecasted to be down approximately 6% based on early reports,” Stellantis’ US head of retail sales, Jeff Kommor, said.

This marks a positive start for the brand this year, considering they are coming off a massive $26 billion net loss from the previous year.

The higher sales of Ram could be because of its return to the Truck Series. This was a massive comeback, considering they were one of the biggest manufacturers in sports. Back in the day, the brand participated in the Cup Series with Dodge, powering the likes of Team Penske. In fact, their final year in the series ended on a high when Brad Keselowski managed to clinch his first and only Cup Series championship with the team.

But considering they turned massive profits with just the Truck Series return, could they think of a possible Cup Series operation in the coming years?

Dodge’s Cup Series future

Prior to the season-opening Daytona 500, there was a discussion of the possible addition of a fourth OEM to the field. Currently, Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford make up all the teams.

Adding to the discussion, Ram’s Kevin Kidd had revealed that Dodge could be aiming for a potential return to the Cup Series in the near future.

“Don’t have anything ready to announce on that today, but it’s certainly part of the discussion internally,” Kidd said. “It’s looking at what the future brings for us. We have not made any qualms about it. We aim to get back in the Cup Series. It’s really a matter of what the right timing is and what that looks like.”

Having four OEMs on the Cup Series field could bring a massive change in the overall competition of the field. Major technical alliances could take a hit, but at the same time, there would be more seats and better opportunities for the upcoming drivers. Moreover, manufacturer rivalries will get spicier with a massive driver market shakeup.

While this seems to be an all-positive for Stellantis as a brand, it cannot be said for sure when, if at all, Dodge will make their Cup Series return. For now, the closest action to that which the fans can get is Ram running in the Truck Series.