For the past several years, Dodge/Mopar fans have been pondering Dodge’s return to NASCAR Cup Series competition. The manufacturing company departed the racing series after winning the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup (Monster Energy Cup) with driver Brad Keselowski and his Penske Miller Lite Dodge Charger team.
During the 2012 campaign, Penske Racing (Dodge’s only factory-supported team) went into talks about extending their contract with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and their Dodge brand for sponsorship after the campaign was over. During that period, Penske along with SRT engineers were working on the all-new GEN 5 Dodge Charger stock car for the following season.
NASCAR and FCA have made statements about the probability of doing business together again. Apparently, NASCAR Vice President Mike Helton, Tim Kuniskis, and then Head of Passenger Cars for FCA and Sergio Marchionne then CEO of FCA, had breakfast at the 2017 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) to examine the possibility of Dodge returning to NASCAR. It was rumored that FCA executives had even attended a NASCAR Cup race at Michigan International Speedway that year, but nothing has been reported about either event from both side.
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I hardly ever watch a Nascar race since Dodge pulled out do realize how many fans feel the same way,you’ve only got about only 3 teams that win every race I think to make the sport better you should do away with fuel injection you’ve taken all the tuning out of the teams hands you should run stock bodied cars like you buy at the dealer.I know they’re unibody but they were running over 200mph in the 60s and 70s put a cubic inch limit weight per cubic inch.
Same car different stickers don’t make it a mopar. Nascar is a joke iroc racing didn’t make it in the nineties and it isn’t doing well now under the cup name. Bring back racing.
Nascar is the same as IROC.
Boring. Put the cars next to the street cars that you by from a dealership. No where close.
Strip the skins and decals off of a cup car, Camaro, Mustang and Toyota Supra….they look just alike.
I totally agree..bring back Carbarators and factory stock car body’s. Let’s get back to real racing
First off, fuel injection is here to stay. Have to move Into the 21st century. Can’t have stock bodies from the factory because of all the safety features nascar has put in. Extra room in the cock pit for example. Otherwise Newman would be dead. They have made it easier to identify the different manufacturers on the track, keeping the looks of the front and rear ends.
Dodge re-enters NASCAR = decal maker will have to upload new sticker files for their printer
I totally agree dodge should be in nascar
It would be great to see DODGE in the field again
I do agree, NASCAR is a **** up, every year they make the sport less and less interesting I cant even watch this crap anymore. NASCAR think they own the teams and tell them how it goes. If the team all got together and said screw you NASCAR were done. One idea is to form and other series and leave nascar out to DRY !!! Dodge was a big part of nascar They Put Fan In the Stands. They said they do 200 MPH NOT TRUE ! nascar puts so many rule on the team, NO One can even follow what the hell is going on. My last comment **** **** nascar you suck…….
I’ve met so many younger people who love the Dodge brand with the current line up of Challenger, Charger, Durango, SRT vehicles. I’m actually pleasantly surprised. Dodge is getting these sales without NASCAR. It would be in NASCAR’s best interest to capture this fresh blood’s interest in performance by luring those Dodge faithful into the NASCAR family of racing. NASCAR seems to have an identity crisis and can’t seem to figure out where its demographics lie. If you can’t capture young people’s interest now, they will grow up to become adults with no racing interest. And that’s not good for NASCAR. NASCAR needs Dodge, not the other way around!
Put Dodge back in the Nascar racing
Like to see dodge the king of nascar back
NASCAR has never been a fan of MOPAR. Since MOPAR was winning the Cup Races of the 60’s and 70’s with lesser known drivers and “The King” while the superstar drivers of the other brands not winning championships, the France family decided to put severe restrictions on MOPAR to keep them in line and to keep them from winning everything in sight with the 426 Hemi and Dodge Chargers. Daytonas, Superbirds, and Roadrunners. Looks bad if one car company like MOPAR dominates! Chevrolet and Ford were second tier and their drivers pitched a fit. I’m sure if MOPAR gets in again, NASCAR will put their big thumb on the scales to keep Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendricks Racing happy. Wonder if Penske would go back to MOPAR because they had a good working relationship in the past?
You sir are 100% correct. Nascar has only band cars built by Mopar , I can’t remember any ford or chevy being band, and having the junk that is toyota racing is a joke, if you notice when they came in and dodge left it was all down hill after that.
Actually ford had their 427 banned by nascar around the same time dodge had their 426 hemi banned. Ford and dodge are the only two manufacturers to have been banned by nascar. I’m also a dodge fan myself and I have no problem with Ford’s but I have nothing for Chevrolet and don’t get me started on Toyota.
Dodge fan Also, NASCAR got do Boring with them restrictions about banning some powerful engine, whats the point of racing if it aint about fast and strong, so disapointed about where it is right now, Not entertaining at all! NASCAR used to be about big V8 and seems like they going with the Electric trend, end of an era… so sad… nothing roars as a 440 or 454 yeah buddy bring’em !!!!
The Monte Carlo had a pretty good run for a while too between Hendrick and DEI. Then they switched to the Impala when NASCAR wanted to make everything fit the same template (unfortunately killing the street version as well). That was the last of NASCAR race cars having any individuality at all.
Why restrick a brand for being fast? If they can’t keep up, build a better car. I think the whole plan
of racing was to build a faster car.
Bob
That’s what fueled the competition. Instead of encouraging that, they decided to simply level the playing field for everyone… like giving every kid a trophy.
Nascar “was” a great American sport, the France kids have let it go straight to hell. Cookie cutter tracks, cars all look the same , a foriegn car maker racing ( i don’t recall any moonshiners running liquor in a camery) you got these huge tracks and the stands are empty but ticket prices are still way up there, they don’t let the drivers race anymore it’s all controlled, and it’s just getting worse. I believe if someone started a new series with all American cars running short tracks they would draw a helluva lot more than Nascar.
please dodge, come back and shake things up a bit!nascar could use a little excitement since Tony dale jr and gordon left. The world moves forward people not backwards. adapt to the 21st century of vehicles and technology…..cant stop it. plenty of stock bodies on rural dirt tracks…with carburetors!!!
dodge you need to go back to building motors for 410 sprints. the stands are packed with fans .50 cars show up for a 24 car field .there is nothing boring about 35 lap feature. people dont tune in for the last 20 lap…nascar is boring,its all about the wreck , sprint cars are fast and wild to watch . no one leaves the stands when there on the track.thats the reason you see 6 to7 nascar drivers trying to get in race when they arent committed to nascar.
It’s not NASCAR w/o MOPAR! Seeing Toyota is weird also! Yes they may be assembled here in the U.S., but they are engineered in Japan!
You could say that for chevy too, with most RD on the Camaro done in Australia.
I believe gm in particular was upset because they were loosing. Ford did start to get a good start at running hard at the mopars I think nascar is missing a good chance to build back up. Toyota is a joke so is chevy the fords and mopars will eat em up given equal and fair treatment
A few years ago started watching NASCAR again after getting away from it for many years and was shocked that Mopar was no longer there. My dad had a couple classic chargers (one Hemi)and we would watch every weekend. Now it is awesome to watch and incredible to actually go to a race, but it would be even better with Mopar in the pack.
dodge @ ford @ GM that is nashcar i dont watch raceing anymore i watch the drags mopar is one of the best they have
Well, here’s my 2 cents worth. How about a call out to all the proud old school Chrysler workers in manufacturing and management in FCA. Your brand is of this country, helped build this country, is a part of this country’s premier racing series known as NASCAR whether we see it racing on tracks on Sundays or not. Keep the competition diverse, of the people, by the people, for our beautifully diverse American people that deserve representation. All the great remaining manufactures of today would not be here without all the amazing competition of the past in both manufacturing and racing. All of the global brands wanting to be in America is evidence of that and, I would bet any of these brands a steak dinner (or vegetarian dinner if that’s what you’d prefer) that all the biggest brands got to where they are today by looking hard at each other, it’s just good design. Dodge/Chrysler/Fiat whatever it’s called today in our global village SHOULD and DESERVES to be in Nascar. C’mon guys and gals, let’s all just get along and do this. Our country needs it.
GG
Drivers Garage
toyota sux and is a disgrace to the u s a,an i dont like shevy or Ford either, they were ***** taking dodge away an they were doing so good,i only own dodges,an look at all the dodges on the road,an the new trx truck,an chargers an challengers i see more than any other car,i only watch now to see them wreck towards the end cause all three of them, do ****,and are boring…………
Nascar should let all manufactures in but a limt on how much money and horse power You can have because it’s to expensive . This is one way that it would make the entire field competitive. I for one get tired of seeing the same drivers win over and over again . It’s exciting and worth watching when someone wins that’s not suppose to.
Let’s hope Dodge will return to NASCAR! Racing lost one of the true marques of the sport when the brand pulled out of NASCAR, yet the tradition of the sport has always included Chrysler — despite its huge dominance and popularity during periods of the 1960s and later. There has always been a bit of uncertainty within the racing community that Dodge will come back to dominate once again, but with the rules package now, this won’t happen. NASCAR popularity probably waned a bit when Dodge left the sport, but with the new Gen-7 cars, a Dodge Challenger is an absolute natural with its independent rear suspension, big V8 power and so forth, almost made to order for the new style. Dodge sales are excellent, and the company hasn’t needed racing particularly, but it would be wonderful to see the brand in NASCAR once again. Toyota doesn’t have a single car in the real world that resembles the NASCAR Camry; Chevrolet and Ford do have similar cars, and the Dodge is perfect for the sport. Please return to NASCAR, Dodge!
Racing will never be the same without Dodge. NASCAR ; please wake up
Racing will never be the same without Dodge. NASCAR ; please wake up
I think i checked the door panel on a Camaro and it said something like built in Canada?
My 2006 Monte Carlo was built in Canada.
What if the king came back to own a dodge ran team
I have not watched nascar sense dodge left. I dont know why it pulled out and dont care. It time for dodge too come back, on the road today no other car brand can hold their own with the dodge cars and trucks that are being built and sold right now. Dodge you have built a reputation on fast cars and strong running motors it’s time to show the world that dodge would dominate nascar again. Please come back it’s time.
I have not watched nascar sense dodge left. I dont know why it pulled out and dont care. It time for dodge too come back, on the road today no other car brand can hold their own with the dodge cars and trucks that are being built and sold right now. Dodge you have built a reputation on fast cars and strong running motors it’s time to show the world that dodge would dominate nascar again. Please come back it’s time.
guy’s its not so much about the manufacture of the cars it’s about the driver. come on these cars have to be safe first and foremost. if it were a free for all the cars would be doing 250. i watch because i have my favorite guy behind the wheel
As a Canadian , a lifelong NASCAR Deciple and just a Gearhead in general…STOP THE POLITICAL CRAP !
WE don`t care whose nose got bent out of shape , we just want Dodge back , HEMI included [ if they can make it so they don`t eat themselves ] the body shape alone will let them be competitive [ please exclude the REALLY ugly chargers , cuz they are just a Brick on wheels ]
plus they will fit the new GEN 6 configuration , be just as competitive and with the stock factory colours would look Outragious
thank you for your time
BE WELL and STAY SAFE
what is the difference i am a mopar fan all would like them to come back it looks like its up to dodge
not us so let all see let see how old we will be untill they do or dont as of now ti is all talk