Well looks as if the Challenger may be a part of NASCARs future (but will the Challenger be a part of the future?)
The following story was posted on NASCAR.com today.....

NASCAR, team owners discuss new race car
By Staff and Wire reports
July 28, 2009
04:26 PM EDT

type size: + -NASCAR met with team owners from the Nationwide Series on Tuesday to discuss the rollout schedule for that series' new race car.

"In the days ahead, we will digest what was discussed [Tuesday] and make a final decision on the rollout for next season with full anticipation of integrating the new car for the entire 2011 schedule," said Robin Pemberton, NASCAR vice president of competition.


Pemberton"Right now the consensus is that the latter part of the year, we'll go to three intermediate tracks or ovals -- because it may include a Richmond or something else -- and in the first part of the year, the first half of the year, it looks like we're going to try to tackle potentially two speedways, Talladega and Daytona," he said of tentative plans for 2010.

Pemberton added that NASCAR hopes to have a rollout schedule finalized before the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races Aug. 8-9 at Watkins Glen. "We're still in the process of melting all that down, but that seems to be the general consensus from talking with the teams [Tuesday]," he said.

A meeting with approximately 125 fabricators and crew chiefs followed the meeting with team owners at NASCAR's research-and-development center in Concord, N.C.

Pemberton said car builders can expect to start receiving templates for the new cars in approximately two weeks. Not all manufacturers have announced the models for the new Nationwide cars, but the lineup is expected to be as follows: Chevrolet Impala SS, Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Toyota Camry.

"We're excited about Mustang coming to NASCAR," said Brian Wolfe, director of Ford North America Motorsports. "It's the most successful product nameplate in racing history, and it seems only right that it should be coming to the most popular form of racing in North America.

"We had been talking with NASCAR for some time about Mustang as part of its vision for a 'muscle car' rollout for the Nationwide Series. We both saw it as a way of differentiating the series from Sprint Cup. ... I think race fans -- and Mustang loyalists -- will be very pleased when we publicly roll out the first car later this fall."

When it is introduced, the new Nationwide Series car will look and drive differently from the Cup Series' COT. The Nationwide car will feature a more traditional spoiler instead of a rear wing and a spring front suspension instead of bump stops.

"We're fairly wrapped up on what the look of the car is," Pemberton said. "Though our testing -- all of the wind-tunnel numbers -- everybody's pretty much in line, regardless of what platform they decide to market on. The numbers are very good and in close range to be competitive, downforce-wise and drag, things like that."

NASCAR introduced a new race car for the Cup Series in 2007, using the "Car of Tomorrow" in 16 races before making the car mandatory in '08. The primary design considerations were safety innovations, performance and competition, and cost efficiency for teams.

On Monday night, NASCAR chairman Brian France addressed the Nationwide Series' new car on Sirius Speedway. "With the new car, potentially, we are certainly talking to the manufacturers but we're zeroed in also on how do we make sure, from a timing standpoint, that we don't burden the team owners with an enormous amount of cost," he said.

"The teams are going through, as everybody in this economy is, lots of difficulties trying to figure out a new business model in some cases. So we're having to balance all this along with trying to make some progress. But we'll get there. We've got really, really smart people working on it."

Originally, NASCAR had contemplated introducing the new Nationwide Series car at Daytona in February, but team owners generally preferred a rollout later in the year. Accordingly, the probable competitive debut will come in the spring race at Talladega, where teams will test the new Nationwide car after the Cup race in October of this year.

"We're still running the numbers on that, and when you do that -- say it's April [Talladega] and July [Daytona] -- then we would look at an intermediate or an oval track race in August, one in September and maybe one in October to give them enough time in-between races to get prepared," Pemberton said.

 

That would be great, but if the cup series is any indication, you wouldnt even recognize it as a challenger other then the headlight and grill decals. Cup series sucks in that respect.

 

nascar completely sucks in all respects now.

from the stupid car--- to their selective enforcement of their own rules--- to the bull**** they are pulling on mayfield now( shades of what they did to Tim Richmond) to drivers that are quick to condemn and brown nose nascar and other drivers afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation from the nascar inspection process.

i grew up around all forms of racing and even helped the stavola brothers team back in the 80s when they had Allison and Hillin racing for them and at no time has it been as horrible as it has been for the last 5 years.

they can attempt to blame the economy for the loss of attendance at
all race tracks across the schedule but when viewership is down too i think its time for them to start looking in the mirror and no decal that looks like a factory stock car will help them.

 

I agree with many of the things you are saying.....it's sad to see that way Stock cars, sorry cookie cutter cars have developed over the years....much better racing in the 60's-80's...yes racing may be closer today, but it seems that in many cases it comes down to winning by saving fuel, etc...
While the cars can never be truly "stock", at least make them race whatever body style they sell...because of their trying to even the playing field with the "Car of Toworrow", we will never see another Monte Carlo SS, Laguna, Superbird, Daytona, etc......
As for Mayfield......even if he wins (not likely) he will still lose in the long run....he has no future in NASCAR....NASCAR management will see to that....(they don't like anyone questioning their control over the sport)
Mayfields situation is a bit different from Tim Richmond's as Tim was trying to cover up his AIDs, and he did make a come back before health issues ended his career for good as well as his life. No one really knows if Mayfield is using drugs or not (he said-she said....)
It's a sad situation for Mayfield............

 

I was a die hard fan till BiG E passed and NASCAR went downhill from there.The best racing is found at you local speedway. I raced for a while at Anderson Speedway in the FWD division. Kyle Busch was there Monday and won. I won ten races. Heres a pic of a brand new car I wrecked on the first night of my second season passing for the lead. Needless to say "I LOST"

 

believe me i know, i was at pocono for Tim's last win at that track in 87 and the rumors that ran rampant with Nascar fueling them.
even though there was no sign of it he was a coke head or speed freak with no proof the same as they are doing to mayfield, they claim he is a meth user and they violated federal law by having both A&B samples tested at their facility, then they said his july 6th test came back positive while his lawyer says they have an independent lab test from the same day at a reputable hospital the proof will come out and i hope they get their asses handed to them.
i agree that his career is completely ruined and one can only hope that this will force nascar to come out with a real policy instead of this BS
they currently have in place.

if he is guilty so be it, but if they really have no proof then i hope he ends up with 25 million + out of them.