NASCAR “very close” to adding another manufacturer after Ram’s entry
After welcoming Ram to the Truck Series for 2026, NASCAR says it's on the verge of adding a fifth manufacturer to its roster.
NASCAR is “very close” to securing the entry of a fifth manufacturer following Sunday’s news that Ram will join the Truck Series in 2026.
Over the Michigan race weekend, it was revealed that Stellantis brand Ram will compete in the Truck Series, with the company CEO’s Tim Kuniskis driving a Ram 1500 concept race truck to celebrate the announcement.
Ram’s arrival marks the end of a two-decade drought for a new car brand into NASCAR, with Toyota being the last to join back in 2004.
Now, NASCAR is already working hard to get another OEM onboard, with EVP John Probst revealing that talks are in an advanced stage with another brand.
Asked if the wait for the fifth manufacturer won’t be as long as the 20-year-old wait for Ram, Probst told SBJ: “Well, I hope it does because I’ll probably be retired if it’s 20 years again/
“But I feel like -- we have said this 900 times to you guys and until today I didn’t have any breakthrough news to announce and today we’re proud to welcome Ram back into NASCAR.
“I don’t want to jinx ourselves, but I would say we are very close with one other; can’t speak for them - obviously it’s their decision to make - [but] we would love for them to decide to come into NASCAR.
“And even with that, there’s one or two others that we’re a little bit earlier in the discussions [with] but also looking pretty positive.
“But we also know an OEM deciding to come into NASCAR -- it’s a big commitment for them, and it’s not something they take lightly.”
Probst acknowledged that bringing a new manufacturer into the sport is a long and complex process: “It requires a lot of research and approvals at the highest levels, and we’re confident right now, we like the position we’re in and think we’re a pretty good investment for an OEM.”
Another Probst fell short of revealing the name of the said manufacturer, both Honda and Stellantis are widely rumoured to be evaluating a foray into NASCAR.
Honda did not deny it was in talks with NASCAR when queried on this subject.
“I am not in a position to speculate as to what Mr. Probst was referring to,” Chuck Schifsky, manager of Honda and Acura Motorsports, told SBJ.
“I can say that -- Honda continues to explore multiple options for our future endeavors in U. S. motorsport. We have no news to share at this time.”
