Will Cup Teams Have to Dodge Penske?
Penske Racing will be the only Dodge team for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series season, but team officials and Dodge officials reaffirmed their
commitment to each other during Monday night’s dinner session.
“This is our eighth season with Dodge, and I have never seen this
level of commitment from Dodge and the enthusiasm of the entire Dodge team,” said Walt Czarnecki, executive vice president, Penske Corporation. “We believe in Dodge and we believe in their success. Together, we’re going to achieve that success on the race track and in the showrooms.”
Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of Dodge Car Brand, said the
manufacturer went through a short period before deciding to remain in
NASCAR.
“It’s been an interesting year for us, obviously,” said Gilles.
“It’s been a big year for introspection. We had a lot of decisions we had to
make as we went through the summer last year and kind of rebuilding our
company from the inside out. NASCAR was one of those decisions we had to
make. It was a very short one. We decided to absolutely be committed.”
Dodge went to one team, Penske, though it will increase its
commitment to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, including the addition of a
second full-time team. Gilles said Dodge likes the NASCAR Nationwide Series
and likes the series’ new model car, the Challenger.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Gilles said of the car that will run four
races in the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.
Gilles said Dodge will continue to support NASCAR in a “big, big
way.”
“I want to really weave our NASCAR effort into what Dodge is going
to be all about,” Gilles said.
And Penske will be a big part of Dodge’s overall effort, Penske
Racing owner Roger Penske said.
“I think we have a competitive advantage,” Penske said. “The fact
that all the resources, both technical and from a marketing standpoint, are
supporting our drivers and our other sponsors, we have that benefit with
Dodge.Believe me, this is just not putting your name on the side of a car or
having your decal as a Dodge running around the race track. This is about
selling cars, about selling product.”