When NASCAR was designing the Next Gen car, one of its priorities was to make it easy and inexpensive for new OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to adapt to. Still, RAM has decided to foray into the Craftsman Truck Series first instead of jumping into the Cup Series straight on. NASCAR executive John Probst explained why this is the case.
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RAM announced last June that it would return to stock car racing after a 13-year absence. They are partnering up with Kaulig Racing in the Truck Series and will field five trucks in the upcoming season. Probst detailed in an interview with Epartrade that when the Next Gen car was under development, fans wanted the design DNA of their OEMs to be retained and to see them compete on the engine front.
They wanted the Chevy Camaro, the Toyota Camry, and the Ford Mustang to actually look like their street counterparts. Where they wanted the difference to be was under the hood. The OEMs themselves were interested in this as well.
Probst said that the jump into the Cup Series could be much shorter and less expensive if they achieved more meaningful results in this. “It is an area that is important to our fans and to our competitors to maintain that level of competition.
“So, while we always continue to try and strive to find efficiencies on that front, it is an area that is important to the sporting side of what we do. So we do protect that. And then, thus it is a longer journey from trucks to cup.”
Rest assured, RAM does have plans to enter the Cup Series as well. During a promotional shoot at Darlington Raceway earlier this year, CEO Tim Kuniskis hinted at the brand’s intention to enter the top level of the sport. That move would likely come in the future through another manufacturer under the global Stellantis banner.
Kuniskis clearly stated, “We’re looking for a date to the prom right now. So how am I going to get to the Cup Series? That’s going to depend on how I get to the Truck Series. So, however we get to Truck is going to obviously weigh heavily on ‘Do I have a path to the Cup Series?’ Our intention is not to do a one-hit wonder and go to Truck and not to Cup. That’s not our plan.”
Kaulig Racing is a team with a strong Cup Series presence. It fields two cars, the No. 10 for Ty Dillon and the No. 16 for AJ Allmendinger. Ram may see this as a potential entry point to the big stage.
