đź•‘3 min read
Ram’s return to NASCAR is beginning to grow beyond its factory-backed operation with Kaulig Racing. MBM Motorsports has confirmed that it will enter a Ram-bodied No. 69 truck in Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, giving the manufacturer a second team during its comeback season.
The move comes in the middle of a difficult 2026 campaign for the small organization, which used Ford bodies during its previous Truck Series appearances. MBM is now changing direction and putting 21-year-old Jonathan Shafer behind the wheel for the TSport 200 presented by Warn Industries.
MBM Makes A Midseason Change
MBM first teased the change with a social media photo showing the No. 69 wearing Ram front-end styling. The simple “Guts. Glory.” caption immediately caught the attention of NASCAR fans because it pointed directly to Ram’s longtime marketing slogan.
A day later, the team confirmed that the truck would make its first race attempt at IRP. The official entry list identifies Shafer and MBM’s No. 69 for the 200-lap short-track event scheduled for Friday, July 24.
The announcement identified the truck as a Ram but did not describe any factory-supported relationship between MBM and the manufacturer. That leaves open the possibility that the team is using the Ram body independently rather than joining the brand’s official racing program.
Either way, the No. 69 adds another Ram to a field that has been represented primarily by Kaulig Racing’s five-truck operation.
Why The Switch Is Possible
Changing manufacturers in the middle of a NASCAR season would normally be a major undertaking. In the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, however, the move is more manageable than it would be in the Cup Series.
Truck Series teams use the Ilmor NT1 specification engine regardless of the manufacturer represented on the body. That removes the need for MBM to develop or obtain an entirely different manufacturer-specific engine program.
The most visible change is the bodywork placed around the truck. That does not make the conversion effortless, but it gives a smaller organization like MBM more flexibility to change its brand identity during the season.
The Ram body also gives MBM something it badly needs: attention. The team’s social media teaser generated far more conversation than a normal race announcement, largely because Ram is still new to the 2026 NASCAR field.
Ram’s NASCAR Footprint Gets Bigger
Kaulig Racing remains Ram’s official anchor team and fields five entries. Its program includes four regular trucks and the rotating No. 25 “Free Agent” entry, which has attracted veteran racers and drivers from outside the Truck Series.
MBM’s addition is much smaller in scale, but it remains significant. If Shafer qualifies at IRP, MBM will become only the second organization to race a Ram since the brand returned to NASCAR competition earlier this year.
There is also a historical connection between MBM and Stellantis. The Carl Long-owned organization previously raced Dodge Challenger-bodied entries in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition before moving completely to other manufacturers.
Now, MBM is once again carrying Stellantis sheet metal into a NASCAR national touring series event.
Whether the Ram remains a one-race experiment or becomes a larger part of MBM’s program remains to be seen. For now, the No. 69 gives Mopar fans another truck to watch and gives Ram an unexpected new presence during the second half of the season.
Robert S. Miller