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.

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Austin Hill (33) and Ty Dillon (10) compete through Turn 4 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Martinsville,Va. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Brad Keselowski's Dodge stands in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Aug. 10, 2012. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)

AJ Allmendinger is introduced to fans prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Martinsville,Va. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Missile explosions struck Kyiv and left at least five people injured early on Saturday as Ukraine prepared for new talks next week with Russia and the United States.

Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are to meet on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, for talks aimed at ending the war. The new round of negotiations would be the fourth brokered by the Trump administration, following the most recent round in Geneva in February.

Western governments backing the peace initiative are seeking a new formula to break the impasse while acknowledging that territorial and security questions remain unresolved.

The Russian missiles that hit the Ukrainian capital overnight damaged homes and commercial properties, closed traffic on a Kyiv bridge over the Dnipro River and triggered new power and water outages, national and city authorities said.

“As a result of the enemy’s night attack, energy facilities in the Kyiv and ... Zhytomyr regions were damaged,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. “The situation with the capital’s energy supply is extremely difficult, affecting the city’s heating and water supply systems.”

Meanwhile, in southern Ukraine, a recovery operation continued in the village of Komyshuvakha, devastated on Monday when multiple Russian guided bombs slammed into a former school and nearby shelter as residents waited for humanitarian aid.

Dozens of people remain missing after 55 were killed — two of the bodies were recovered early Saturday — in the attack on the former school turned aid distribution center.

The village of Komyshuvakha is located near the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Rescue workers clear rubble to recover bodies from an underground school destroyed in a Russian airstrike in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)