A day after Penske Racing, the last major race team to run
Dodge stock cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, announced that they would be
shifting to Ford for the 2013 racing season, the Chrysler Group introduced the
shadowy teaser (which we have lightened up for easier viewing) above offering
us a first look at the 2013 Dodge Charger Sprint Cup car.The 2013 Charger “Cup Car” will make its
grand debut at 10:30 am on March 11th at Las Vegas – right before
the Kobalt Tools 400 begins.
NASCAR lifted the restrictions on some of the aspects of
race car body construction which allowed the Chrysler engineers to design a
2013 Dodge Charger stock car that looks a great deal like the road version of
the Charger.The image above shows a
long “greenhouse” area with a window opening that is closer to the design of
the standard production 2012 Charger; minus the 4 doors.It is hard to tell from the picture offered
but it does look like the 2013 Dodge Charger Sprint Cup car might have some
scalloping in the hood like the production model and event he indentations in
the body side appear to be present in the new race car – both of which really
add to the production look of the street Charger.
The big question is this: once the 2013 Dodge Charger is
ready for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, will there be anyone to drive it?You would think that with the fuss made over
this new 2013 stock car body, the company would have a major team lined up for
next season.Or, they are hoping that
this new body will entice new teams.
The future of Dodge in NASCAR hangs in the balance but the
automaker appears to be working to keep themselves in the sport with the new
2013 Charger.Do you think that Dodge
will survive in NASCAR?Click here to
tell us what you think!
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
A day after Penske Racing, the last major race team to run