Penske to Dodge?

MountaineerTom · August 17, 2001

From jayski.com

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Penske to Dodge? on Wednesday's ESPN2's RPM2 Night. Robin Miller mentioned to look for Penske Racing(#'s 02,2,12) to go to Dodge in NASCAR for 2002. But back in Jan 2000, it was announced that Penske had signed with Ford to run the manufacturer thru 2002(8-16-2001)

Elwood · August 17, 2001

I really hope this is true. I am a huge Rusty Wallace fan, I liked him when he drove a Pontiac and I hated that he went to Ford, but I still root for him. I would love to see him running a Dodge. I rather see him in a Chevy, but Dodge is pretty good too. Man, I hope this is true.

Kansas Kid · August 18, 2001

I kind of like Rusty, but I hope he stays with the Ford camp. I really don't care for Dodge at all. I'm also afraid to see what Penske could do with that Dodge motor, because that thing was designed from the ground up as a race motor, unlike the other makes.

General Lee 01 · August 19, 2001

Let me put on my flame-retardant suit first.....

Ok, here we go. :biggrin:

I agree w/ Kansas Kid here.

I kind of like Rusty Wallace and I kind of dis-like Dodge.

1. Their cars are ugly.

2. Their cars are un-proven so far this year and the season's just about 34 of the way through.

And another point. IMO it would be a bad move for Penske to move their newest gun, Ryan Newman to such an un-proven manufactuer afterall the success they've had w/ this one. Since he won today (in-case anyone missed the Busch race today, Ryan Newman won), who knows what might've happened if he were driving a Dodge.

If a Dodge Wins a WC race before this year's over, I'll re-tract this statement. Until then, Dodge Sucks!

MountaineerTom · August 19, 2001

Quote: from General Lee 01 on 10:55 pm on Aug. 18, 2001
Their cars are ugly.

I don't know about that, I think they look pretty good. I'd also rather have a Dodge than a F_rd.

Jpshostr · August 19, 2001

General, I don't know if Dodge is quite ready to be written off as unproven. I had slight thoughts of that earlier, but after being given a personal tour of two Dodge shops (Bill Davis and Petty Enterprises) I can honestly say that they will be doing real good real soon. I didn't really expect them to be doing as well as they have been doing. Sure they haven't won yet, but they have been competitive. You must also keep in mind that from the beginning Dodge's main focus for the first year was to have a good showing at Daytona and worry about the rest of the tracks later. I fully expect them to be in the hunt for a win next year and for many years to come. One must also remember that the teams themselves are also going through a transition. A Dodge has different traits than a Pontiac, and over time the teams are learning those different characteristics.

Kansas Kid is right in saying that the motor is made from the ground up for racing. I saw engines in every stage from block to complete build, every piece was made for racing. The block has a full water jacket around every cylinder, among other things.

August 20, 2001

I guess it is true to say that they are unproven. All teams go through new bodystyles periodically, but Mopar has to prove engines as well.

But new teams always have growing pains, new bodies change shape from race to race, and team members move around a bit. All this to create the "Perfect Raceteam". I am actually pleasantly surprised that Dodge pulled off a win at all this year. I figured this whole season would basically be a test for the teams.