Is Dodge done in Nascar, Again?

[73Chally]

Just saw where Richard Petty Motorsports is moving to Ford next year.  As it stands, Dodge will only have 1 team with 3 cars next year.

http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/cup/09/11/preview.kkahne.reaction.ford/index.html

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Well they had a stint in GM already...    Haven't heard this tho..

[71chally416]

Great timing when they have 2 wins this year after a long draught. The last one was last week. How many wins does Ford have this year?












Ford? They have like 2 wins total this year 

[426HEMI]

I hated to hear that the Petty team went to ford.

[bb71challenger]

I dont follow stock car racing all the time but have noticed the decreasing number of Dodge offerings on the track. I think it sucks that once again Chrysler is on the verge of dropping out of roundy round racing.   

[fantum]

Yeah, I read a few weeks ago that somethng was going to happen because Dodge was pulling sponsorship money, which created a big hardship for Petty Motorsports.  The rumor I had heard was that he was leaning toward Toyota.  Ford sucks, but at least they're still a home soil organization.  I bet things would be different if NASCAR would allow Dodge drivers to use the Hemi technology that they developed.

[cudax34me]

Give it time guys and govt. motors will be out of it too.Toy-otay is the only one with the extra money to do r&d.Sooner or later there probly won't be anything else on the track.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I'm with you on the HEMI thing fantum. BAck when the hemi was being reintroduced I thought mopar would have prominence once again... but the powers that be at NASCAR........ 

[71chally416]

The motors they are using now make about 850hp with just 358 cubes. It's unlikely any other overhead valve motor would do better, and even if it would Nascar would step in and change the rules anyway. Look what they did after Ryan Newman won 8 races a few years back and had 11 poles. The most sweeping changes they ever had in the sport with the Points system and the soft tires and then the "Car of tomorrow" which set all the Dodge teams back to where they started when they got back in to the sport.  Chrysler has always got the short end of the stick in Nascar (and always will) so I really don't care if they drop out. The sport is about the chassis setup and luck anyway today (like in not having some moron run you into the wall), not the motor that powers the car.

[71chally416]

UPDATE - Matt Kenseth (the top Ford guy with 2 wins this year) will NOT be in the chase for the championship. Neither will Kyle Bush, the hated Toyota driver. Kayne and Kyles brother Kurt WILL be, driving Dodges.

Dale Jr finished 21st.

[Aussie Challenger]

  I don't follow NASCAR any more but I had also heard about Petty moving to Fraud, the last remaining team for Dodge still has a contract to run and is supposed to be on the move once that contract is up.
  R.I.P.  Dodge   
  What NASCAR has been trying to do to MOPAR's for years, Chrysler has now done to itself.   

[71chally416]

Maybe they'll go out with a bang and steal the championship. They did it the last year the factory backed the trucks, despite being outnumbered big time. It's all about $$$ in Nascar. Whoever has the deepest pockets will have the most cars and trucks. The team owners care more about that than winning races or brand loyalty.  Chrysler figures Penske has the best chance of winning and they have definately proven to be the best since they got back into the sport, so they get all the $$$.  Petty switching just frees up more $$$ for them to operate with. I'd rather have one winner than a bunch of also-rans.   

[torredcuda]

I was excited about Dodge being back in Nascar but I have been watching less and less lately and when they are gone I`ll really lose interest in it.I don`t want to watch Toyota and Chevy stock cars winning all the time!

[73Chally]

  Even though Kayne and Bush are in the chase, I immediately lost interest as soon as I heard RPM was switching to Ford.  I know the brand names are a farce to begin with, but at least it was something to follow.  I'll keep an eye on Penske next year, but won't be watching much at all.

[HP2]

Funny, Hot Rod has a big article in the November issue abou the new Ford and Dodge engines and how they are both clean sheets of paper in regard to design. Of course it is not unlike a big manufacturer to spend tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on a program only to walk away before it is delivered.