Kevin Harvick explains impact of RAM return to NASCAR, speculates on teams

Kevin Harvick was grinning ear-to-ear when RAM Trucks announced a return to the NASCAR Truck Series for 2026 this past weekend. Since Dodge left the sport after 2012 and RAM left the Truck Series in 2014, fans, teams and drivers have waited for this moment, and it’s finally come to fruition.

It was the first step the return of a fourth manufacturer for NASCAR, and now the question has become which driver and team will be tabbed to lead the charge. Regardless, Harvick is elated at the idea, and ready to see where RAM goes from here.

“It’s really neat to see RAM come back to the Truck Series,” Harvick stated, via Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “They were always such a big part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and everything that happens and has happened with it through the years. So they just, I mean — it’s just NASCAR. They’re just a NASCAR brand. I don’t know why they ever left. 13 years ago. I’m happy that they’re back.

“I can’t wait to see who their teams are going to be in the Truck Series. I think it will be very interesting to see that play out. Maybe they’ve already got them picked. But building these programs is always intriguing.”

At the moment, the manufacturer is rumored to be working on a deal with YouTuber and current ARCA part-timer, Cleetus McFarland. Sports Business Journal obtained a document that listed McFarland as one of the names slated to be part of the program as a brand ambassador and driver. 

Regardless, McFarland will be far from the only driver who joins RAM next season. Harvick believes the company can compete right away, as he explained later why it’s the perfect time to enter the Truck Series as a manufacturer.

“It’s a great time to come into the Truck Series, because of the spec engine. You don’t have to develop an engine. You basically are going to develop the aero side of things with your body,” Harvick added. “It’s a lot simpler to get started in the Truck Series. The hard part will be getting everything situated for Cup and the timing of that. Is that 2027? Is that 2028? What is that timing?

“But to have them back in the Cup Series is going to make it better for the Toyota, Chevy and Ford teams, because those manufacturers are going to have to lose some people and they’re going to have to either keep spending the same money with less teams, or spend a little bit more money. So, as a team owner in the past, when more manufacturers compete, the better it is for the team, because you get more funding, which means you can sell the sponsorship for less.”

As you can tell, Kevin Harvick believes RAM Trucks returning to NASCAR is a fantastic development. We can’t wait to see where it all goes from here, and there’s many in the motorsports world who share that sentiment.