Mopar_®’s Role In NASCAR: Part II

ARCA LEBARON

In 1989, ARCA racer Jerry Churchill began running his self-sponsored Churchill Transport Chrysler LeBaron in events and picked up some Top Ten finishes, plus saw victory at the Kil-Kare Speedway (Xenia, OH) event in 1990. Power came from the Mopar_® 355 Circle Track engine, W5 aluminum heads and single plane intake manifold.

Bob Keselowski ran a Joey Arrington prepared 355 Mopar small block engine winning six ARCA races between 1991-93. Faithful to Mopar, he would move on to running a Dodge Ram in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

DODGE RIDES AGAIN

It all started in January of 1999 when DaimlerChrysler Corporation president James P. Holden gave the Winston Cup program his blessings, contingent on the support of Dodge dealers. Soon after the Dodge Dealer Advertising Association came aboard, wheels were put in motion to get the name “Dodge” back out on the tracks and superspeedways of NASCAR. The question became who would run this new Chrysler stock car racing effort, and for Chevy racer Jeff Gordon, the answer came on the evening of September 10, 1999, when he got a visit by his crew chief, Ray Evernham. With his guidance and Gordon’s driving skills, they were running dominant on the circuit (having won three titles and 47 races together) but the news he received that night was shocking. Ray told him he was leaving Hendrick Motorsports and forming a new Dodge team. This decision was one of the sports biggest switches ever; however, it led to a brand-new chapter for Chrysler.

INTREPID

Evernham Motorsports would run Dodge’s two-car NASCAR program with primary sponsorship coming from Dodge Dealers and the UAW.

BIG TEAM EFFORT

When driver Bill Elliott won the pole at the Daytona 500, it was clear that the Dodge Intrepid was going to be a true contender in NASCAR! This moment shows Evernham and Elliott holding up the trophies in celebration of winning on July 2002 of the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono. Furthermore, when driver Ward Burton (driving for Bill Davis Racing) won the prestigious Daytona 500 in 2002, it verified the Dodge teams were strong and winners!

SWITCH TO CHARGER

2005 saw the switch from Intrepid to Charger body, as shown here with the Kasey Kahne #9. This car marked his first career Nextel Cup win at Richmond in May 2005.

2010 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY CELEBRATION

In March 2010, it was all smiles for car owner Roger Penske (L) and driver Kurt Busch (R) after the win in the #2 Dodge Charger at the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway!

PENSKE 2012 CHAMPIONSHIP

It was 2003 when Team Penske Racing joined forces with Dodge for NASCAR, running Intrepid bodies with Rusty Wallace and Ryan Newman as drivers. It was instant success as Ryan Newman scored eight races – and with an impressive eleven pole position positions. 2008 saw Team Penske win the Daytona 500 with Newman as the driver.

In that last race, it was going to be Jimmie Johnson or Brad Keselowski who would win the 2012 Championship. During the race, when Johnson’s car went out with engine damage, and pulled it behind the wall, all Brad had to do at that point was just finish to be the crowned champion. “I wanted to beat Jimmie, even if Jimmie had won the race, he still didn’t beat me on points,” Keselowski said afterwards. “I ran the last 50 laps as hard as I could, now this wouldn’t be over my head the rest of my life!”

In the end, him winning that championship was a huge accomplishment and even though that was the last year for the manufacturer, they did go out on top and in style. 

In NASCAR racing history, Dodge recorded 217 wins and there’s high hopes by Mopar fans that it’s not over yet.

2013

Called the Gen6 car, this latest Dodge Charger racecar design was revealed in March of 2012; however, it wasn’t meant to be, as Dodge left NASCAR at the end of the 2012 racing season. With racing partner Team Penske switching to Ford for 2013, this left Dodge without a top-tier team causing the corporation to switch motorsport priorities.

CHALLENGER WIND TUNNEL

2010 Dodge Challenger Nationwide Series car being tested in the Chrysler Technology Center Wind Tunnel. It was a new series for Dodge to participate in with the Challenger body and part of their racing program with Penske Racing. And at the end of the season, driver Brad Keselowski won the Nationwide Series Championship.

CANADIAN ACTION

The NASCAR Canada Series (formally CASCAR) saw lots of Mopar action through the years, with drivers such as Ron Beauchamp, Jr. and Scott Steckley winning races and championships with Dodge cars.

DODGE RAM ENTERS NASCAR SUPERTRUCK SERIES 1996

Introduced in the “Get Real. Get Mopar.” 1996 ad, a flashback to Mopar’s NASCAR glory days with Richard Petty’s 1970 Superbird featured along with two Dodge Ram race trucks, the #43 (Bobby Hamilton) and #30 (Jimmy Hensley). These trucks were powered by the 5.9L type Magnum V8 with cast iron block, aluminum heads. In addition, other factory-supported teams included K Automotive with driver Bob Keselowski and a Walker Evans Team, driven by the legendary desert racer. In May 1997, Tony Raines got Dodge’s first win in the NASCAR Truck Series at I-70 Speedway in Odessa, MO.

Here’s the Mopar Parts paint scheme for 1998, the #1 Dennis Setzer Dodge Ram truck.

During 2001, Dodge conquered the Manufacturer’s Craftsman Truck Championship. To celebrate that feat, the ad agency ran this full-page “Grab Life by the Horns” magazine ad.

Here’s the 2002 version of the Dodge Ram factory race truck, the #8 Bobby Hamilton Racing entry.

2005 saw a completely new look for the Mopar Dodge Ram truck of Ted Musgrave, running out of the Ultra Motorsports camp. A winner!

The Dodge Ram brand’s successful run in the Truck Series included securing the Manufacturer’s title three times (2001, 2003, 2004); plus in 2004, Dodge won the NASCAR Craftsman Series Driver’s Championship with Bobby Hamilton, Sr. 2005 saw Ted Musgrave take home the Championship for Dodge Ram as well.

DODGE RAM RAM DIVISION ENTERS THE 2026 RACING SCENE

Ram officially announced that for 2026 a return to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing for the factory, and with fielding five Ram 1500 race trucks all under the umbrella of Kaulig Racing. It all will start February 13, 2026, at the kick-off race at Daytona International Speedway.

Like all the trucks on the circuit, overall weight is 3,200 ponds, power comes from an Ilmor NT1 385-cid engine (LSX-block with Holley EFI and Diamond pistons) to provide a competitive and consistent, reliable powerplant for close competition. 

With “Direct Connection” markings and a stylish front end, these trucks will mark the first time since 2012 that a factory-backed Mopar truck will be in competition in the series.

This brand-new venture has been started from scratch and at press time the Kaulig Ram Truck Team had announced the listing of a portion of the drivers and all of the truck race numbers. Ram #10 will be raced by Daniel Dye, Ram #12 will be driven by Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, with Justin Haley in the Ram #16. Ram #25 will be the Free Agent Truck, and Ram #14 is still “top secret,” to be announced later.

When he spoke of the upcoming 2026 NASCAR Truck Series and Ram’s involvement, Tim Kuniskis summed it up with this: “We’re back in America’s motorsport, the HEMI^® is back, and we aren’t going anywhere.”

Author: James Maxwell