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HORSEPOWER, AERO, AND AN EVEN BREAK; Dodge works to reverse its Cup fortunes.(Motorsports)
Byline: BILL McGUIRE
Just six weeks into the 2003 schedule the Dodge Winston Cup program appeared to be in mid-stumble. After a strong finish last year, its third in Winston Cup, the manufacturer had precious little to show for its effort this season: one win, just one top-five finish, and only one driver, Ryan Newman, in the top 20 in Cup points. Needless to say, in the highly pressurized environment of Winston Cup, it doesn't take long for the rumor mill to get up to temperature. One of the more intriguing tales had Dodge's entire complement of Winston Cup team owners called onto the carpet at DaimlerChrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, for a stern lecture from the man himself, Dieter Zetsche.
But that's not what happened, according to John Fernandez, director of DaimlerChrysler's Performance Vehicle Operations. While there was a meeting in Auburn Hills in March, a few days before Bristol, ``That's not how it went. That's not how you get things done,'' says Fernandez. ``The fact is, our chairman is a big Winston Cup fan. It was really about his commitment to the program. He wanted to know if there was anything Chrysler could be doing better to help the teams. It was an opportunity for the chairman to show his commitment to the program and for the owners to bring up any issues they have.'' While Fernandez sees Bristol as a turning point, he doesn't see the meeting as the cause; more of a reaffirmation of a process that was already in place.
Fernandez has identified three areas that have frustrated the Dodge effort thus far this year: engines, aerodynamics and dumb racing luck. He says the company is fixing the first two, while the third will have to take care of itself.
``The most disappointing race for me this year was Daytona. I just didn't feel like we were competitive. We collectively got together and decided we've got to work harder on our plate motors, which we've done, and I think our qualifying this week shows it,'' said Fernandez. Jeremy Mayfield qualified his Ray Evernham-owned car on the pole at Talladega, using a restrictor-plate engine from fellow Dodge team Penske Racing. ``We put two cars in the top five, four in the top 10,'' adds Fernandez. ``That shows we now have the speed to run the race.''
``I wouldn't say it lit a fire under us. ...
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Source: HighBeam Research, HORSEPOWER, AERO, AND AN EVEN BREAK; Dodge works to reverse its Cup...