Dodge faces long road to success
Toyota has big expectations for its second year of Cup racing, but the other manufacturer that joined the series this decade is still in transition.
Seven years ago, Dodge resurrected its Cup program, and Chip Ganassi Racing was strong out of the box. Sterling Marlin finished third in points in his first season and followed that by contending for a title before a neck injury ended his 2002 season. Since then, the best Dodge finish has been Ryan Newman's sixth-place runs in 2003 and '05.
Coming off a year in which Dodge won only three of 36 races, nobody can make a case that a title run is imminent.
Newman missed the Chase the past two seasons, so it's hard to consider the Penske team a threat. His teammate, Kurt Busch, won a title at Roush Racing and is the most serious contender, but he won just twice last year as the only Dodge driver to qualify for the Chase.
Most of the Dodge teams are in transition. Penske will have to adjust to the retirement of president Don Miller while adding a third team--with Indycar driver Sam Hornish.
At Ganassi, Reed Sorenson, who will turn 22 next month, is the team "veteran" with two full years of Cup experience. Juan Pablo Montoya was solid in his first season but might be another year away from challenging for the Chase. And Dario Franchitti, the defending IRL champion, faces a daunting learning curve.
Ray Evernham, the guy who spearheaded Dodge's re-entry into Cup racing, has scaled back his role since selling his team to the George Gillett family. He won't be at the track every week, and Gillett Evernham Motorsports is trying to rebound from an underwhelming 2007. As much as that organization-- headlined by Kasey Kahne--has struggled with the Car of Tomorrow, two or three wins would be a big improvement under new leadership.
The other Dodge team, Petty Enterprises, has moved into a temporary shop in the NASCAR hub with the hope of building on Bobby Labonte's 18th-place points finish. Just winning a race would be great for Labonte and new crew chief Jeff Meendering, who worked previously on Jeff Gordon's team.
The biggest change at Dodge might come from above. New Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli (former CEO of The Home Depot and head cheerleader for Tony Stewart) wants his Dodge teams to win--and win now. It's a refreshing new course with Nardelli in charge. There's a sense of urgency.
But Nardelli would be smart to expect improvement while understanding that his teams are in transition. They're setting themselves up to be stronger down the road.
scenedaily.com.