NASCAR 2012 Thread

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Kind of wonder if Dodge has another team lined up already, I can't imagine them developing a new car if they didn't(Perhaps an announcement at Vegas?). I think the Shell and Miller schemes will look great on the new Fusion car as well.
 
Exactly, whats with all the "Jimmie Johnson deserved it" BS? Is all the hate really that necessary?


R1600Turbo
Breaking News:

Penske Racing will switch to Ford's for 2013.

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-penske-racing-stuns-nascar-with-move-to-ford?3/1



This means the only remaining Dodge in the field belongs to Robby Gordon....
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Wow, I did not see that coming. Dodge is screwed for sure now, no damn way any team will be able to make Dodge competitive. They might as well just quit at season's end
 
Dammit. The new Dodge was looking badass. Hell Keselowski is filming a commercial for it!

Doesn't help that I'm not a big Ford fan.
 
R1600Turbo
Breaking News:

Penske Racing will switch to Ford's for 2013.

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-penske-racing-stuns-nascar-with-move-to-ford?3/1



This means the only remaining Dodge in the field belongs to Robby Gordon....
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I'm going to interpret this as Dodge not having the money to continue to support a competitive team. I'm happy that Ford will now have a another major team, since RPM is good... but they just don't have the same performance caliber as Roush.

Speaking of RPM... they used to run Dodge's. Technically, MWR also ran Dodge's for awhile. But there's a good reason that Penske was the only team in all three of NASCAR's series' that ran Dodge's full-time and that's money. It'll be interesting to see who picks up the brand.
 
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Cale
Dammit. The new Dodge was looking badass. Hell Keselowski is filming a commercial for it!
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Well, thats going to be one awkward shoot then.
 
RACECAR
Well, thats going to be one awkward shoot then.
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Yeah, whats the point of shooting a commerical for it if there going to switch to Ford next year anyway?:dunce:

EDIT: Who knows maybe RPM will go back to Dodge next year??
 
Problem is though, who is willing to invest in Dodge? Seems like basically(discounting Robby Gordon), all of the Mid-field and back field teams appear to be more willing to invest in the other three.
 
The only three I could see being worth Dodge's time all have strong cases against them using Dodge cars.

Earnhardt Ganassi (Ganassi used to run Dodge's before joining DEI)
Michael Waltrip Racing (ran Dodge's while waiting for Toyota to join)
Richard Petty Motorsports (Evernham ran Dodges before merging with Petty Enterprises)

I just cannot see a positive fan reaction if Earnhardt Ganassi moved to Dodge's... plus they're a strong Chevy team even when they're having bad years. I really think they need a new driver lineup. JPM's NASCAR experience has failed and it's beginning to hurt them in my opinion, he doesn't have the wins or even the consistent finishes to justify taking a seat in such a good car. McMurray has flashes of greatness, but he's had a rough 2011.

Michael Waltrip Racing seems firmly committed to Toyota... but they're still not the biggest Toyota team in the garage (like I think Waltrip thought they would be) and I don't think they'll ever be as long as Gibbs runs Toyota's. MWR is a team that's growing and Dodge would be positively silly if they didn't make a move on what looks like a good team that has room to improve with drivers like Truex Jr., Bowyer and the veteran Martin. Ultimately though, the lineup is only marginally stronger than Ganassi's. While Toyota has stated that they want to support a good portion of teams, I think MWR might be swayed at being the biggest Dodge team... rather than playing second fiddle in the Toyota garage behind Gibbs.

Then there's RPM. Evernham was the Dodge team when they re-joined the series all those years ago and it's highly possible that a relationship could be re-established. But they have the weakest driver's lineup of the three possible teams. Only Ambrose has a win from last year. However, they're another team that is (or at least, was) considering expanding and I think being the premier Dodge team (again?) might help attract sponsors and hopefully raise their level to attract better driver's than... Aric Almirola...

If Dodge can't land any of those teams then they might be in trouble. They could look to find and invest in a new team, just like they did with Evernham, or they could help nurture and grow some of the smaller teams... but that's a long road with a lot of risks. Not to mention a lot of the smaller teams are reliant on larger teams to support them with chassis and engines, so they don't have necessary parts, budgets or personnel to support themselves.
 
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Snaeper
Earnhardt Ganassi (Ganassi used to run Dodge's before joining DEI)
Michael Waltrip Racing (ran Dodge's while waiting for Toyota to join)
Richard Petty Motorsports (Evernham ran Dodges before merging with Petty Enterprises)
Click to expand...

I don't see any of those teams switching manufacturers. RPM has a pretty good deal with Roush Racing, and no one would be crazy enough to give that deal up for a lesser one. Earnhardt-Ganassi is one half of the biggest Chevrolet engine builder in the sport so there's absolutely no way they would jump to Dodge. MWR would be most likely but they don't have the resources to change manufacturers comfortably unless Dodge threw money at the team which I don't see happening now that FIAT has controlling interest and the company still rebuilding.
 
That's too bad about Dodge & Penske.

I have to wonder if one of the major teams will have the same thinking that Gibbs had when Toyota joined. Gibbs thinking was "Why go on being the #3 Chevy team when I can be the #1 Toyota team?".

Hope that happens and Dodge remains in Nascar.
 
Snaeper
The only three I could see being worth Dodge's time all have strong cases against them using Dodge cars.

Earnhardt Ganassi (Ganassi used to run Dodge's before joining DEI)
Michael Waltrip Racing (ran Dodge's while waiting for Toyota to join)
Richard Petty Motorsports (Evernham ran Dodges before merging with Petty Enterprises)
Click to expand...

MWR was technically an expanded Bill Davis Racing as they were sort of still setting up shop. I think MWR doesn't really have the secure pockets to just switch like Penske can.
 
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MustangRyan
EGR was considering going to Ford before last season, but decided not to because of their shared Earnhardt-Childress Racing engine program. If they wouldn't leave Chevy for Ford, they certainly aren't leaving for Dodge.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/NASCAR-Sources-Ganassi-team-considers-switch-to-Ford
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This is an interesting article, as it basically says that Ford was looking to add a team to their portfolio. With EGR turning them down, they found Penske instead?

I think that means that Dodge will be floating around with a lot of money and support and will be looking for someone who wants to buy in and has the resources to do so as well. MWR is a long shot as they seem pretty rooted with Toyota, but RPM is a highly likely candidate. With Ford now supporting Penske, there's the possibility that there's less pie to go around the Ford stable, or RPM could just make an opportunity move to become a larger organization using Dodge's funding. With Dodge pacing the Phoenix race this weekend and getting ready to unveil their 2013 NASCAR next weekend at Las Vegas... we know they're still showing commitment to the sport. They're going to be looking for a partner and offering a lot of money.
 
Snaeper
This is an interesting article, as it basically says that Ford was looking to add a team to their portfolio. With EGR turning them down, they found Penske instead?

I think that means that Dodge will be floating around with a lot of money and support and will be looking for someone who wants to buy in and has the resources to do so as well. MWR is a long shot as they seem pretty rooted with Toyota, but RPM is a highly likely candidate. With Ford now supporting Penske, there's the possibility that there's less pie to go around the Ford stable, or RPM could just make an opportunity move to become a larger organization using Dodge's funding. With Dodge pacing the Phoenix race this weekend and getting ready to unveil their 2013 NASCAR next weekend at Las Vegas... we know they're still showing commitment to the sport. They're going to be looking for a partner and offering a lot of money.
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Keep in mind, this article I linked to was from the end of the 2010 season, not the end of 2011.
 
Interesting bits from the teleconference earlier. This is regarding why they didn't go with Chevy:

“We thought it was time to evaluate other options. With Chevrolet, we’d have a hard time getting in that line with the teams already associated with Chevrolet.”

And the main reason for switching:

“This wasn’t about money, I want to make that clear. The multiple-car teams have been the strength in NASCAR. We’ve been operating for the last 10 years with some support but alone. We needed to have a benchmark, and it will be good to have that additional technical information flow through the process."
 
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In other words, they liked being with Dodge. But, with no other comparable team to compare themselves against, they had no way of knowing if they were ahead or behind the curve with what the Dodges could do. That makes sense.

At Ford, they will definitely know where they stand on the Ford performance platform with Roush and RPM on the track with them every weekend. If the Roush cars are faster, they know they have work to do. If they are faster, they know their engineering is excelling. If they can work together with Roush, even if it's indirectly just by working with Ford, they are bound to gain a ton of technical information that it would take them forever to gain with only two cars on track each week.
 
MustangRyan
EGR was considering going to Ford before last season, but decided not to because of their shared Earnhardt-Childress Racing engine program. If they wouldn't leave Chevy for Ford, they certainly aren't leaving for Dodge.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/NASCAR-Sources-Ganassi-team-considers-switch-to-Ford
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In my honest opinion, if they ever decided to switch, it would be the final nail in the coffin for Dale Earnhardt's Legacy. Dale Sr was a Chevy guy, Teresa already killed the company enough as it is. EGR has to stay Chevy.
 
MustangRyan
Keep in mind, this article I linked to was from the end of the 2010 season, not the end of 2011.
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Uhhh, yeah. Your point? Business decisions like that don't simply happen over night... or for that matter under a few months (although that's how NASCAR has been operating lately). This is something that was nice and long in coming and they've probably been talking with Penske about it all of 2011.

Penske is still in a relationship with Dodge, though, so they're going to continue to fulfill that relationship to help them develop the 2013 car among other things.

Another potential suitor for Dodge could be Turner Motorsports (though I'm not sure about their commitment to Chevy). They're about to make their Sprint Cup Debut this season and they have strong outfits in Nationwide and Camping World. A young team like them might welcome the boost they'd get from being the big Dodge team in the Sprint Cup.
 
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