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Dodge chairman pledges commitment to NASCAR

By Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
July 1, 2006
09:24 PM EDT (01:24 GMT)


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The chairman of DaimlerChrysler denied a widespread rumor that Dodge is pulling out of NASCAR, and pledged his commitment to America's top racing series.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, attending his first race of the season Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, said NASCAR is a successful platform for DaimlerChrysler and he has no plans to pull Dodge out.

"I don't know who is creating those rumors, we have no reason whatsoever [to leave]," he said before the start of the Pepsi 400. "We are very happy with NASCAR, it is a great platform, and Dodge is the right brand to race NASCAR."

Dodge has been unable to shake a season-long rumor that it was leaving the sport after five years. Many speculated that poor auto sales -- DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group said last month that sales were down nearly 11 percent -- would drive the manufacturer out.

But the German-based Zetsche said he's still seeing a return on investment.

"It's certainly not, 'Win race Sunday and sell Monday,' but it is brand building," he said, "and part of the excitement which we have created around Dodge the last five years is certainly due to NASCAR racing."

Dodge has won 32 races since its 2001 return to NASCAR. The Intrepid blazed to early success, but the manufacturer struggled after its switch last season to the Charger. Kasey Kahne has finally grown comfortable with the model, and has a series-high four wins this season and started Saturday night's race third in the Nextel Cup standings.

"I think we have gotten a lot of recognition and awareness," Zetsche said. "We haven't got the championship, yet, so we haven't gotten all that we've wanted. But Kasey Kahne, I think he is the most popular driver out there, and at the end [that] is at least what we can ask for."

Earlier Saturday, Chrysler announced that the Dodge Challenger, a prominent member of its stable of high-performance "pony cars" of the early 1970s, is coming back in 2008.

The new Challenger will feature the long hood, short deck, wide stance and two-door coupe body style shared by the first generation of Challengers, which were produced from 1970-74. About 188,600 Challengers were sold during that time.

Zetsche didn't rule out using the Challenger in NASCAR.

"For the time being it is definitely the Charger," he said. "When the Challenger comes into production we will reconsider it, but there is no decision to be made right now."

RLSH700

I'm glad to hear that Dodge isn't leaving. If they want to build their performance image, they must be in NASCAR. I don't think they should use the Challenger since they don't use the real car out their. Using the old platform which if I remember correctly is based off of an old Ford design, and slapping Charger is an insult to the original let alone abusing the Challenger name.