Penske Racing is the only major multicar team left in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup with the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger of Brad Keselowski and
the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Charger driven by AJ Allmendinger but team owner Roger
Penske announced today that his team would be leaving Dodge to run a Ford
Fusion in 2013.This move from Dodge to
Ford will not only affect the #2 and #22 Dodge Chargers from the Sprint Cup but
also the # 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger driven by Brad Keselowski and the #12
Alliance Truck Parts/WURTH Dodge Challenger driven by Sam Hornish Jr. of NASCAR’s
Nationwide Series.
This announcement comes as a stunning blow to the Dodge
NASCAR effort and with the loss of the teams piloted by Keselowski and
Allmendinger, the only driver from this year’s Daytona 500 to still be running
a Dodge is the self-owned team run by Robby Gordon.Penske was the last big name owner to stick
with the Dodge stock car program and with the loss of this partnership – we could
be looking at the final year for Dodge in NASCAR.
Ralph Gilles, the president and CEO of the SRT Brand and the
company Motorsports division, thanked Roger Penske for his time spent with
Dodge while also pointing out that Chrysler’s Motorsports efforts go well
beyond the world of NASCAR.He went on
to explain that the company will assess their Motorsports efforts for 2013 at a
later date – meaning that Dodge NASCAR fans should cheer hard for the remaining
Dodge racers could this could be the last year to do so.
"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.
Penske Racing is the only major multicar team left in the