Skip to main content

After a four-year absence, is it time for Dodge to return to NASCAR?

Dodge Charger NASCAR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
NASCAR is, if nothing else, the most American form of motor sport, but one of the Big Three United States automakers hasn’t been represented for several years. Dodge officially left NASCAR in 2012, leaving Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota to fight among themselves.

But Dodge may soon return to NASCAR, Sergio Marchionne, CEO of parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) said in a recent interview with Autoweek. Marchionne said he’d “love to” have Dodge back in NASCAR, and that he’d already talked to NASCAR executive vice president Jim France about it.

Recommended Videos

Marchionne was also the one who made the decision to pull Dodge out of NASCAR in the first place. That decision was made in 2009, as Fiat was taking the first steps to rebuild Chrysler after the U.S. firm’s bankruptcy. Marchionne said that, at the time, FCA couldn’t justify Dodge’s participation “when I was trying to pay bills and make payroll.” When Dodge officially left NASCAR in 2012, only one team (Penske Racing) was still running its cars.

For most automakers, racing is primarily a marketing exercise. NASCAR presents an interesting dilemma because, on the one hand, its popularity raises the profile of participating automakers, but the cars also have virtually nothing in common with their road-going counterparts. Dodge does have an impressive NASCAR legacy, with decades of participation and many race wins. That may be weighing on Marchionne, although he did not say when Dodge would rejoin NASCAR.

Dodge is touted by FCA as a performance brand, and it isn’t very involved in racing at the moment. After it left NASCAR, the automaker pulled the plug on a racing program for the Viper sports car, and then discontinued the Viper itself. Dodge’s biggest current racing commitment is to NHRA drag racing.

While Dodge does not officially participate in NASCAR, some Dodge-branded cars do race in the series. Race cars badged as Dodge Challengers compete in the second-tire Xfinity Series, racing against Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Toyota Camry-badged cars. NASCAR’s top series is the Sprint Cup, which features the Camry, Ford Fusion, and Chevrolet SS, and there is a NASCAR series for trucks as well.

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
The UK’s Wayve brings its AI automated driving software to U.S. shores
wayve ai automated driving us driver assist2 1920x1152 1

It might seem that the autonomous driving trend is moving at full speed and on its own accord, especially if you live in California.Wayve, a UK startup that has received over $1 billion in funding, is now joining the crowded party by launching on-road testing of its AI learning system on the streets of San Francisco and the Bay Area.The announcement comes just weeks after Tesla unveiled its Robotaxi at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. It was also in San Francisco that an accident last year forced General Motors’ robotaxi service Cruise to stop its operations. And it’s mostly in California that Waymo, the only functioning robotaxi service in the U.S., first deployed its fleet of self-driving cars. As part of its move, Wayve opened a new office in Silicon Valley to support its U.S. expansion and AI development. Similarly to Tesla’s Full-Self Driving (FSD) software, the company says it’s using AI to provide automakers with a full range of driver assistance and automation features.“We are now testing our AI software in real-world environments across two continents,” said Alex Kendall, Wayve co-founder and CEO.The company has already conducted tests on UK roads since 2018. It received a huge boost earlier this year when it raised over $1 billion in a move led by Softbank and joined by Microsoft and Nvidia. In August, Uber also said it would invest to help the development of Wayve’s technology.Just like Tesla’s FSD, Wayve’s software provides an advanced driver assistance system that still requires driver supervision.Before driverless vehicles can legally hit the road, they must first pass strict safety tests.So far, Waymo’s technology, which relies on pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), is the only of its kind to have received the nod from U.S. regulators.

Read more
Pirelli’s new ‘Cyber Tyre’ could be the next traction control
Red Pagani Utopia Roadster in a spotlight on a white background

If you’ve heard whispers about the “Pirelli Cyber Tyre,” or spotted the news about the Italian manufacturer’s work with Bosch, Pagani, and McLaren, then you may be wondering: What makes the new tire so clever? Smart tires as a concept go back a few years, and Pirelli has a habit of squeezing in tech wherever possible. So, what's different this time?

Well, plenty of drivers know what happens when you hit a patch of ice, or test your luck through a particularly bad downpour. Your vehicle loses grip and unless you have the skills needed to get it back on track, you’re probably going to wind up pitched into a ditch or headed sideways into a tree. Things like stability control and traction control help a lot, but they can’t do much when you do start hydroplaning.

Read more
Scout Motors creates connections with its new electric Terra truck and Traveler SUV
Scout Terra and Traveler driving onto the compass-face stage.

Scout Motors invited roughly 300 people to the hills of Franklin, Tennessee, to reveal the Scout Traveler SUV and Terra truck electric concept vehicles. The automaker brought in journalists such as myself, active lifestyle bloggers, YouTubers, automotive industry analysts, and enthusiasts and fans of the original International Harvester Scout.

Scout Motors calls the new, rugged vehicle the Connection Machine. The reveal event aimed to establish a solid connection between the concept EVs and the attendees. The automaker also used the occasion to announce the immediate ability to reserve a Scout vehicle with a $100 fully refundable deposit.
The Scout legend

Read more