AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon to drive for Dodge in '27 and could have a teammate at Daytona

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Dodge will return to the NASCAR Cup Series with veteran drivers AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon — and potentially one more — in 2027.Kaulig Racing, which is anchoring Dodge's effort slated to begin at Daytona International Speedway in February, made the announcement Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kaulig CEO Chris Rice said he would like to run a third car in the season-opening Daytona 500 but added “there are some stipulations that we have to go through” to make it happen.The Stellantis-owned Dodge brand unveiled plans for its earlier-than-expected return at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas on Monday. But Dodge and Kaulig saved their driver lineup announcement for NASCAR's championship weekend in Homestead.“A huge deal is an understatement,” Allmendinger said. “Next year won't be easy. It'll be a different set of struggles, but at least there's a pathway, a light at the end of the tunnel that you're working towards, and you have a company like Dodge that you can work together with to try to achieve goals and be part of it.”Allmendinger, 44, will drive the No. 16 Dodge. He started his Cup career in a Dodge in 2006 and has three victories over 517 starts. He spent the last six seasons driving a Chevrolet for Kaulig.Dillon, 34, will pilot the No. 10 entry. He is winless in 316 Cup starts, with the last two seasons coming with Kaulig.Founded in 2016, Kaulig Racing started as a single-car team in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and became a full-time endeavor in 2022.In 2026, Kaulig fielded five entries in the Truck Series entries as part of Ram’s return to NASCAR competition following a 13-year absence. Dodge had planned to return to the Cup Series in 2028 but moved it up a year.Dodge will reveal its car, expected to be the Charger, at the annual Snowball Derby next month.___See AP’s full auto racing coverage here