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COPYRIGHT 2001 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Quick--anybody have a better idea? Dodge certainly needs the help. We're 14 races into the season, and Dodge, in its return to Winston Cup after a 16-year absence, is 0-for-14. Numbers like that get you a seat on the bench in most sports.
So, what's wrong with Dodge? For starters, many of us are guilty for expecting too much, but for that, Dodge must assume some of the blame.
For 15 months--before any of its cars took the first lap in competition--Dodge released its game plan, little by little and news conference by news conference. There were too many to count. The highlights: Ray Evernham was named manager of Dodge's Winston Cup program, and the drivers were revealed.
Picture fireworks exploding in the sky. The sound of drums banging and cymbals crashing. Dodge is coming back. It's the greatest thing since Chrysler smoked everybody with the hemi engine in 1964.
Fast forward. Then came the approval of the car and engine by NASCAR and finally "D-Day"--Dodge's debut at Daytona. What a show it was. Bill Elliott won the pole, and when Jerry Nadeau's qualifying time was disallowed, Stacy Compton moved up to the second spot. It was an all-Dodge front row for the Daytona 500.
"Winning the front row for the Daytona 500 was great, but it raised the expectations," says Bob Wildberger, Dodge senior manager of NASCAR operations....
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