Question for all..Will Dodge ever re-enter Nascar racing do you think?
I remember that in the "good" days They were pretty darn near the best If
not "the" BEST.
Richard Petty might agree.
Also I have heard that the reason that Dodge left Nascar was because Nascar
would not let them use the Hemi, So Dodge pulled out thinking Nascar would
fizzle without them.
Any thoughts?
I for one hope they get back in there one day.
Richard Petty still runs a Dodge Truck in the Craftsment Supertruck
series. He says Dodge is building a new V-8 for the truck runners, but
also says, they are spending a-lot of money on that motor....he thinks Dodge
will have to go back to winston cup to recoup their investment... imagine
an Intrepid at Daytona(then again, imagine an Intrepid at Bristol! )
dave henrie
so that's a definate MAYBE!
>I remember that in the "good" days They were pretty darn near the best If
>not "the" BEST.
>Richard Petty might agree.
>Also I have heard that the reason that Dodge left Nascar was because Nascar
>would not let them use the Hemi, So Dodge pulled out thinking Nascar would
>fizzle without them.
>Any thoughts?
>I for one hope they get back in there one day.
Petty drove Plymouths until 1972, when he tried his first Charger. As
for Mopar puling out of racing, it was only because the company was in
complete disarray. The hemi was long gone. Nascar had dropped the
cubes down to where everyone was running small blocks. And the Petty's
proved you could win with a 340ci
When they switched to Buicks, it was because they had run out of
sources for small block Mopar parts! The Petty's had no factory
backing for the last 4yrs they ran the Chargers, and one lone year
with a Magnum. Maurice had exausted every junkyard in the south!
As far as Mopar getting back into it, well,.......they are running the
Truck series. But unfortunately they aren't doing too well right now.
But as long as The King lives,..........theres always hope!
Mike
There are few things in life that a chainsaw can't fix......
"Bill the Cat"
Bloom County
I read an artical that addressed this very same question. Basic the truck
were being raced, because they could use the info to help build a better
truck. They basically said that the Winston Cup series would not help Dodge
develope a better car. I think it is mainly because they do not have a car
that fits the NASCAR guide-lines. My Opinon? No, I do not think you will
see a Dodge in WC anytime soon. It would be great to see them there, but I
don't think it is going to happen.
Another question: Does the merger with Benz take away their Made-in-America
status? If it does, how will that effect them in American auto racing,
whether it be drag racing, truck racing or auto racing?
Thad
I hope so too. I grew up a Richard Petty fan, that sorta makes you
Chrysler fan. :) I was 8 years old and almost in tears when I heard he
was switching to Ford in '69. For years some of the scuttle from NASCAR
was that Chrysler did not have a body style that fit their specs. LOL
Nothing on the track now meets the original intent!!!! (V-8, rear wheel
drive, 2 door in the stock version etc.) Part of the problem now would be
getting some teams to take a chance on a brand new motor and body, not to
mention the loyalty they have to the brands they run now.
Dave
-John :|:
Well as Ford has so clearly shown, Nascar doesn't care what the platform
really is...afterall, does a 4 door front wheel drive sedan actually meet
Nascar's specs....for that matter, does the latest Monte Carlo? Hell you
could put a Champ Car out there and if it had a templated body, Nascar would
probably allow it..
dave henrie
so even tho ChryBenz doesn't have a rear drive platform, the Intrepid would
make a very viable entry into the Winston Cup Wars
>> Question for all..Will Dodge ever re-enter Nascar racing do you think?
>No, no, no, no, and NO! It was best said in Racer magazine a few months
>ago. Chrysler races what it sells, and as of present, it makes no
>rear-wheel-drive, two-door, passenger sedans. That is why Chrysler has
>entered racing programs like the SCCA Neon Challenge, WSC, and Craftsman
>Truck. I really like their thinking here...race what you sell - no
>more, no less.
>-John :|:
I think we'll see them back in the next few years. A couple of months
ago it was announced that Chrysler was working on getting a new engine
configuration approved for the Craftsman Truck Series. When asked about
it The King said that he didn't think that Chrysler would spend all the
money necessary for a new engine just to race it in the truck series.
Now with the announced merger of Benz & Chrysler the buzz is that Rusty
Wallace & Jeremy Mayfield may be driving Dodges in a few years. Here's
the link to a good story on it.
http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/sports/nascar/race13.htm It's
enough to make a MOPAR fan salivate. Here's hoping.
Tom Heintz "Mopar Maniac"
> Question for all..Will Dodge ever re-enter Nascar racing do you think?
> I remember that in the "good" days They were pretty darn near the best If
> not "the" BEST.
> Richard Petty might agree.
> Also I have heard that the reason that Dodge left Nascar was because Nascar
> would not let them use the Hemi, So Dodge pulled out thinking Nascar would
> fizzle without them.
> Any thoughts?
> I for one hope they get back in there one day.
You missed the point. It's not NASCAR's requirement - it's
Chrysler's. They're not interested in racing something that bears
only a token resemblance to what they sell.
What will be interesting is whether that will change now that
Daimler-Benz owns them.
