Compared to the extravagant production Ford used to introduce their Ford Fusion that will race in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the unveiling of Dodge’s entry for 2013, the Charger, was a bit more subdued.
Dodge reveled the Charger at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday morning prior to the running of the Kobalt Tools 400. Unlike the Ford reveal which came during the NASCAR Sprint Media tour in January, there was no loud music, no fog and no huge fanfare. Like the Fusion however the 2013 Charger seen on the race track will look more like the car seen on the street.
“From the start, it’s been a collaborative effort with NASCAR,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – SRT Brand and Motorsports. “NASCAR provided the manufacturers with basic specifications, but offered encouragement to venture beyond the look of the current race car. Our design and engineering group, working with Penske Racing, seized the opportunity. We had a fantastic benchmark – the Dodge Challenger – introduced in 2009. This endeavor goes beyond the trend the Nationwide Series Challenger started with a Dodge Charger that amazingly embodies many of the design features of the street version into the race car. We’re extremely proud that the Dodge Charger street car is the only rear-wheel-drive model in Sprint Cup competition that is available with a V-8 engine.”
The problem for Dodge isn’t the new car, its finding a team that will actually campaign it next season. Penske Racing recently announced they will abandon Dodge for Ford starting next season, leaving the manufacturer with no full time team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. That’s in the future however, Sunday was all smiles. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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