Semopar Forum

**garner** · 03-01-2012, 07:11 PM

Penske is leaving dodge after this season. Only a few small other teams use dodge. Could this be the end of dodge in nascar for another like 25 years like in the time during the 70s to 99? What do you guys think?

**LB3711** · 03-01-2012, 07:22 PM

i hope not

**4XLGator** · 03-01-2012, 07:34 PM

It wouldn't surprise me...they don't offer much factory support.

Travs4X4Ram · 03-01-2012, 08:34 PM

Dodge is suppose to reveal the new 2013 Charger running in NASCAR in Las Vegas. I wouldnt think that Dodge would spend so much time and money developing a new car to just go away. Petty's contract with Ford is up at the end of the year. I hope that Joe Gibbs, with all the problems they have had with Toyota's decides Mopar is the way to go. Either way, it will be interesting to see what plays out.

**NOTPAID4** · 03-01-2012, 10:33 PM

I've heard this too.... hmmmm, we'll see, I guess!

**SmokedRam** · 03-01-2012, 11:03 PM

Dodge wont leave NASCAR...they have stated that they are committed to not only NASCAR but other forms of motorsport. Penske is the only Dodge team that recieves factory support, albeit very little from Dodge. Their truck teams (owned by Brad Keselowski) get absolutely zero. Dodge is gonna have to shit or get off the porch to entice teams to switch over to them. The only chanve they really have right now, is to find a team that wants to be "the #1 manufacturer team" for a manufacturer, much like Gibbs wanted when they left Chevrolet and hitailed it to Toyota.

In my opinion, there isnt a team, a big time team, right now that would make a switch to Dodge, with Dodge's current level of support. Even the satellite teams like Tommy Baldwin Racing, which has an alliance with Stewart Haas and Waltrip racing wouldnt even switch, basically because even with the little team support they get fro the larger teams, it is still more than Dodge currently offers.

**SmokedRam** · 03-01-2012, 11:06 PM

Originally Posted by Travs4X4Ram

Dodge is suppose to reveal the new 2013 Charger running in NASCAR in Las Vegas. I wouldnt think that Dodge would spend so much time and money developing a new car to just go away. Petty's contract with Ford is up at the end of the year. I hope that Joe Gibbs, with all the problems they have had with Toyota's decides Mopar is the way to go. Either way, it will be interesting to see what plays out.

You wont ever see that happening...not in my opinion atleast. Toyota has invested way too much in JGR and their engine program for JGR to leave. Petty would simply be a fool to leave Ford for Dodge based off the Roush/Yates engine program alone...losing that engine program alone would simply kill that team and for sure put the final nail in their casket.

**SmokedRam** · 03-01-2012, 11:21 PM

Here is the 2013 Charger...(what you can see of it anyway)

**SmokedRam** · 03-02-2012, 01:42 AM

Here is what, if I were in charge of Dodge's NASCAR program would do...

We know James Finch and Kurt Busch have a verbal agreement with each other. So...I would get Finch, since he is a small team, to drop his engine lease agreement and chassis lease agreement with Hendrick. I would dump Penske size money into James Finch Racing and make it the Dodge factory team. I would follow Toyota's example and supply Finch with Dodge engineers and engines...then, have him ink a multi year deal with Kurt, he is after all a championship driver, no matter your opinion of him and he knows the Dodge program well. I would have him start a second team and get Elliott Sadler in the seat of it since he doesnt have a full time cup ride. I would go hire Denny Hamlin's old crew chief Mike Ford from JGR.

I would then put more $$$ into the truck series with the Ram brand...I mean damn, the current truck series Ram is still a 3rd gen truck design.