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Twelve-pack Dodge ups the ante in chase for points championshipPosted: Tuesday January 07, 2003 1:44 PM
As testing roared the 2003 NASCAR season from its scant offseason hibernation Tuesday, Dodge put its foot forward as the manufacturer with the most to prove during the next 11 months. And to make sure the Intrepids have a fighting chance, Dodge has a formidable 12-car stable hitting on all cylinders and ready to burn rubber, beginning with this week's season-opening test session at Daytona. "To call our 2003 lineup 'Dodge's Dirty Dozen' is a little edgy, but that's our motorsports philosophy," says Bob Wildberger, senior manager for Dodge Motorsports' NASCAR operations. "That's what motorsports is all about. You can't be afraid to take it to the limits. "It's tough to tell how you're going to stack up for the Daytona 500 after testing, but it gives you an early opportunity to tell if you're in the hunt. Some teams will be good right off the bat, and some teams will make big gains later. It depends on what you're working on [during testing] -- durability or qualifying."
And what a star-studded, full-time lineup Dodge will have:
Other Dodge-backed drivers include Ken Schrader, Larry Foyt and Christian Fittipaldi, who has a contract with Petty to run limited Winston Cup, Busch and ARCA schedules. Fittipaldi will drive Andy Petree's Chevrolet during SpeedWeeks; Petree has a one-race deal with Monaco Coaches, and Petty Enterprises was not going to use Fittipaldi at Daytona. Marlin was Dodge's top performer for most of last season, holding the points lead for 25 weeks before a crash at Kansas left him with an injured neck vertebrae. McMurray filled in during Marlin's recuperation. Still, Marlin posted Dodge's second-highest points finish (18th) despite missing seven starts. Elliott, voted the series' most popular driver for the 16th time, carried the Intrepid flag with a 13th-place showing. The only other Dodges in the top 25 were Petty (22) and Burton (25). And while Dodge's much-ballyhooed return to NASCAR yielded seven wins, that was half of Ford (14) and less than Chevy (10). As expected, anticipation is high as the teams' testing gets under way. John Fernandez, director of operations for Dodge Motorsports, understands how testing works on a driver's mind. "A driver's psyche is delicate, and there's a lot of gamesmanship involved in testing," he says. "Basically it gives drivers seat time and track time for the cars and crews. As important as Daytona is, it's only one race, and we have only four plate races a year. You've got to take a balanced approach. "We won the two biggest races last year, Daytona and The Brickyard," adds Fernandez. "We've added some quality teams, and I think we have players who can contend for the championship this season. We need to work on consistency, and I think you'll see more top-10 runs out of the Dodge camp in 2003." Certainly Dodge benefited from its second season back in Winston Cup (Intrepids won four races in 2001), and with Marlin cleared to resume his career, the stable should improve on its '02 showing. But there will be growing pains early on, especially for Rusty Wallace and Newman, who drove Fords last year. But this is a mix of savvy veterans and up-and-coming drivers, and if ever the slogan "turn left, drive fast" applied, it's to this collection of talent. Yes, Dodges took home wins in the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, but one thing remains: the points title. Considering that up to 35 percent of a race field could be Dodges, you have to like the chances of this "Dirty Dozen." B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for CNNSI.com.
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