WILL DODGE PULLING OUT OF NASCAR HURT OUR AERO CARS FUTURE??

[Mopar John]

I am just wondering about the recent pullout of Dodge from Nascar and what it will do to the aero car group going forward. Never mind that a Dodge won the season championship but what about all the fans. A lot of the first aero car owners were die hard Nascar fans. As these drop off what do you think it will due to the interest in our cars? Just some thinking out loud!
MJ

[myaerocars]

I do not think it will make one bit of difference.

Dodge was out of NASCAR for a while before and our cars just went up in value along with other muscle cars of the era. Even people with no interest in NASCAR at all  would at least recognize that aero cars are special in their own way: purpose built  to win.


Godpseed,
JON

[JB400]

You're sounding like they won't be back for 14.  They are planning a return, just need to find the right team to get back in it with.

[Ghoste]

Not even slightly.  Dodge was out of NASCAR for years and years and it didn't affect it.  I wouldn't be surprised is 2/3 of the modern NASCAR fans have no idea the wing cars ever existed.

[Aero426]

The legacy of the aero cars was sealed a long time ago.   

Did anyone see a print or online ad put out by Dodge celebrating the championship?

[resq302]

I haven't seen or heard anything from Chrysler regarding squat about winning the Nascar cup!  You would think they would at least have a commercial like Lowe's did a couple years or so ago when their driver won.  Just goes to show how much interest Chrysler has in promoting their cars and Nascar itself.  No wonder why they pulled out.  They had a reason to cut back on costs so why not use Nascar as an excuse.

[JB400]

They mentioned it on their SRT website.  As far as them throwing a big hoop ola over it, I don't blame them for not doing it.  Penske is gone and they didn't win the manufacturers' championship.

[Ghoste]

And that is a very sad thing.

[Aero426]

They mentioned it on their SRT website.  As far as them throwing a big hoop ola over it, I don't blame them for not doing it.  Penske is gone and they didn't win the manufacturers' championship.

It is unheard of for a manufacturer to go dark after their one of their sponsored cars wins a major championship.    Yes, I understand the circumstances are awkward.    It's good that all 17 people following the ALMS Viper program saw it over on the SRT page.     They want to sweep it under the rug and move on. 

When they won the Rolex 24, they took out full page ads in the USA Today.  

[Ghoste]

The entire point of participating in it is for promotional purposes.

[JB400]

That was all they were doing this year,  promoting themselves so they could find another team to build up like they did Penske.  Now they've proved that they are a championship caliper manufacturer, they just need another championship caliper team.


As far as their Viper program, it's run by them, not an individual team.  It's run about the Formula One is run.

[Ghoste]

I doubt Roger Penske would see the relationship as Dodge building him up, more like the other way around and when they wouldn't commit to a contract of sufficient length for him to allow his team to continue keeping the hardware built to his winning standard, he bailed.

[JB400]

From what was mentioned earlier this year,  Penske done left Dodge before even consulting them about a contract extension.

[Aero426]

I thought they were in negotiations where Penske wanted a five year deal, and Dodge was not willing to go that long.    I don't think that Penske exactly announced he was going to shop around.   

[Ghoste]

Penskes track record as a businessman (a quality very much known to Chrysler) and a race team owner would likely indicate that if he asked for a longer term then that is what he wanted.  Period.

[Aero426]

That was all they were doing this year,  promoting themselves so they could find another team to build up like they did Penske.  Now they've proved that they are a championship caliper manufacturer, they just need another championship caliper team.

For all the lukewarm talk from Ralph Gilles, I do not see them coming back to NASCAR any time soon.   They want this to be over with and done.      The talk of "were taking a year off" sounds like when a couple announces a "trial separation". 

There will not be any available teams with the right resources willing to make a switch unless the deal is really sweet.    All the current mega teams have long term relationships with their manufacturers.    All the smaller teams are satellites of the big teams and dependent on them.      Someone new has to come in.    Andretti would have been interesting. Reading between the lines, the deal offered and the money had to be  right for them to jump in.    

[JB400]

For Andretti to come in, it would be better if they allied themselves and take over an existing team, much like Stewart did with Haas.  The deal breaker now for everyone is engines.

[Aero426]

Yes, and that kind of scenario is possible where someone new comes in and buys into (takes over) an existing team. 

All the small teams now get their cars and engines from the parent.  Roush, Gibbs and Hendrick are now like factories. 

[Kowal]

I know a couple of guys in NASCAR's mgmt. They think Dodge will be back.

[JB400]

I wouldn't consider Gibbs a factory, they don't supply thier own engines.  Gibbs and MWR get all their engines from Toyota.

[odcics2]

They mentioned it on their SRT website.  As far as them throwing a big hoop ola over it, I don't blame them for not doing it.  Penske is gone and they didn't win the manufacturers' championship.

Exactly.   Brad won a trophy.  Chevy won the Manufacturers Trophy...  I saw nice Jeep Liberty driving down the road with a big #14 on the back...  The days are LONG GONE when the folks in the stands were behind the car make.   Now its all about the driver.