“Stock” cars, of course, are just that: cars offered both to race drivers on the circuit speedway and to ordinary folks on city streets in identical packages. As racing fans demanded more and more speed, stock car manufacturers, conscious of both target audiences, responded with cautious creativity.

Until 1969, that is, when Chrysler took caution out back and shot it.

At the time, team Ford was pushing for the unveiling its Torino Talladega and the pressure was on Chrysler to create a fiercer, faster stock car than anything seen before. So the Chrysler engineers took their old Dodge Charger 500 to the laboratory… and created a monster.

The 1969 Dodge Daytona was a different animal altogether from the muscular-but-acceptable stock cars of the past. It was so ugly that everyday consumers hated it as much as racing fans adored the thing. It was built for speed and, on the racetrack, the Daytona cut through the pack with a speed and stability never seen before — killing the competition and shaking NASCAR to its core.

The Daytona was an engineering marvel. A protruding 18 inch fiberglass nose was added to the front to combat drag, The shark-like snout lowered the car’s drag factor to near zero, allowing the beast to attain unheard-of speeds. But there was a problem: The faster the Daytona ran, the less traction the rear wheels had.

Keeping the rear end of the test model down became the number-one factor in getting this baby out of the gate and past the checkered flag. The issue was resolved with a visually striking addition, one which was both counter-intuitive and, by most accounts, even uglier than the car’s snout. A massive two-foot wing was positioned on the backside of the Daytona. Sure, it was awkward and unappealing to a lot of people, but the results on the speedway soon quieted critics.

On its virgin run at 1969’s inaugural Talladega 500, the Daytona shot through the pack to victory, its high tail sticking up like a big middle finger to every other car on the field. It was the first refined stock car to reach an unimaginable 200 miles per hour on the superspeedways. After winning that first race, the Daytona became the stock car of choice for Bobby Isaac during his championship run the following year.

Officially the fastest stock car in U.S. competition, the Daytona would hold that title for more than a decade.

Riding the momentum of the Daytona’s success, Chrysler developed a sister model, the Plymouth Superbird. Like the Daytona, the Superbird would win its first race out of the blocks, seemingly confirming Chrysler’s reign as the premier breed of stock car.

The racing world was changed forever by the introduction of Chrysler’s devastating Daytona. And that’s exactly what NASCAR couldn’t abide. NASCAR sensed a dangerous new age of development where monsters of speed would eat up the competition by virtue of the science behind the machine instead of the skill behind the wheel.

Beyond the philosophical argument was the fact that Chrysler’s design advances were miles ahead of tire manufacturing feats, and NASCAR felt something had to be done to delay the uneven distribution of engineering expertise. So they killed off the most exciting thing to ever happen on the NASCAR circuit.

NASCAR’s method of execution was stringent new regulations for stock car manufacturers, including smaller engine size and increased consumer purchasing requirements. Where manufacturers once had to provide only 500 cars to the public, now one stock car had to be created for every two U.S. dealers. The result is what’s come to be known as the modern era of stock car racing, a homogeneous field of like-size and strength. A battle of the bland.

The 1969 Dodge Daytona lived and died in one short year. Just 505 of the cars were ever distributed. But the Daytona’s place in NASCAR history is cemented for its record-setting speed and forward-thinking design. It is the car that changed the game and, ultimately, was burned at the stake for its devilish creativity.

FORT WORTH (April 2, 2009) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to the Lone Star state this weekend for the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. The event is the seventh of 36 on the Sprint Cup Series’ regular-season schedule. Seven Dodge Chargers are guaranteed spots in a field of 43 for Sunday’s race. Dodge has two wins at TMS including Kasey Kahne’s victory at the spring event in 2006.

AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Super 8 Dodge Charger) has used consistency to work his way up to 15th in the Cup driver point standings. His ninth-place showing last weekend in Martinsville moves the Richard Petty Motorsports driver within 35 points of the coveted top 12. The top 12 drivers in the point standings after the first 26 races will compete for the Sprint Cup in the final 10 events of the season.

“I’m pretty pumped about Texas,” said Allmendinger. “We ran real well at Atlanta before that yellow (flag) screwed up everyone. If our No. 44 is as good at Texas as it was in Atlanta, then Texas could be a fun afternoon. The Petty team is getting better and better at the 1.5-mile tracks.”

If there’s anyone who understands the excitement of Allmendinger, it’s his veteran crew chief Sammy Johns who has watched his playful 28 year-old driver race his way to a top-five and two top-10 finishes in the first six Cup events.

“AJ’s got a great feel for the race car,” Johns said. “What he tells you, you can adjust something and he goes out and goes faster with it. I feel like his feel for the car and what the four tires are doing is real good and that’s key to the crew chief getting that proper information back and not have to second guess (the driver). When he tells you what he needs, you can give it to him and he’ll go out there and go faster with it.”

Other Notes:
* *******Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) has scored four top-15 finishes in six races in 2009. After six races in 2008, Busch was third in the point standings, 132 behind the leader.
* *******Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) has collected five wins and 19 top-10 finishes (37 percent) on 1.5-mile tracks during his Sprint Cup career which began in 2004. Kahne started from the pole and won the 2006 spring event at TMS.
* *******David Stremme (No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger) has one top-10 in four career starts at TMS.
* *******Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Best Buy Dodge Charger) has started from the front row twice in 14 career starts at TMS. Sadler was the event winner in 2004 while driving for Yates Racing.

2009 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Starts Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Laps Led DNF’s Avg. Finish Earnings
Kurt Bush 6 1 2 3 0 237 0 11.3 $970,363
Kasey Kahne 6 0 1 2 0 1 0 13.8 $1,090,980
David Stremme 6 0 0 0 0 3 0 21.3 $943,163
Elliott Sadler 6 0 1 1 0 24 0 21.7 $1,004,540
Reed Sorenson 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 22.8 $989,579
AJ Allmendinger 6 0 1 2 0 0 0 17.8 $1,260,260
Sam Hornish Jr. 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 29.7 $803,353

NASCAR SPRINT CUP
SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(Top 12 after 6 of 36 races)

1. Jeff Gordon 959 points

2. Clint Bowyer -89

3. Kurt Busch -132

4. Jimmie Johnson -142

5. Denny Hamlin -148

6. Kyle Busch -159

7. Tony Stewart -161

8. Carl Edwards -209

9. Kasey Kahne -214

10. Kevin Harvick -245

11. David Reutimann -249

12. Matt Kenseth -255

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
OWNER POINT STANDINGS
(Top 12 after 6 of 36 races)

30. Reed Sorenson 569 points
31. Robby Gordon 485
32. Sam Hornish Jr. 324
33. John Andretti 455
34. Joey Logano 437
35. Paul Menard 414
36. David Gilliland 411
37. Aric Almirola 387
38. Scott Speed 386

What You Need To Know
The Race: Samsung 500
The Place: Texas Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, April 5
The Time: 3:17 p.m. (ET) green flag
The Track: 1.5-mile tri-oval
The Distance: 334 laps/501 miles
TV: FOX, 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: SIRIUS Satellite Radio

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV
(All Times Eastern)

Friday, April 3
1:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice (SPEED)
2:30 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
3:30 p.m. – Daytona 500 Memories (SPEED)
4:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Qualifying – Texas (SPEED)
6:30 p.m. – NASCAR Smarts (SPEED)
7:00 p.m. – Trackside at Texas (SPEED)

Saturday, April 4
11:00 a.m. – Trackside at Texas (SPEED)
12:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice (SPEED)
1:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
3:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Race – Texas (ESPN2)
8:00 p.m. – NASCAR Performance (SPEED)

Sunday, April 5
11:30 a.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pre-Race Show (Fox)
2:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Race – Texas (Fox)
7:00 p.m. – SPEED Report (SPEED)
8:00 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)
9:00 p.m. – Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (SPEED)

- 30 -

All Seven Dodge Teams Guaranteed A Starting Spot In Sunday’s Race

MARTINSVILLE, Va., (March 26, 2009) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into southern Virginia for this weekend’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at the demanding flat short track of Martinsville Speedway. This weekend’s event is the sixth of 36 point’s races on the Sprint Cup schedule.

The .526-mile track, built in 1947, is often referred to as a ‘paper clip’ for its unique flat and low-banked oval configuration. Martinsville not only tests the mechanical fortitude of race teams, but patience as well. The 500-lap/263-mile event is marked by bumper-to-bumper racing that chews up brakes and spits out race-car parts in a grinding battle of attrition.

A key part of the prize package to the winner is a grandfather clock, produced by America’s oldest grandfather clock manufacturer – The Ridgeway Clock Company. The grandfather clock has been awarded to the event winner since 1964.

The Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 is the first race this year’s car owner points will be used to determine the 35 teams guaranteed a starting spot in Sunday’s 43-car field. Prior to this week, the final 2008 car owner standings were used to lock in the top 35. The 2009 owner points will be used for the remainder of the season. Teams not in the top 35 must qualify on time. All seven Dodge teams running the full 36-race Sprint Cup schedule currently sit inside the top-35 in 2009 owner points.

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) enters Sunday’s race in second-place in the driver standings. The event champion in 2002, Busch has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes in 17 starts at Martinsville along with one pole. For the veteran Busch, a short-track win at Martinsville would mean making ‘more room’ for the prestigious winner’s trophy.

“It’s always a special perk and a bonus because that’s what most drivers shoot for – that piece of hardware at the end of the day,” Busch said of the treasured heirloom. “I think that I won at Martinsville a bit too early in my career because I had no idea that they gave away grandfather clocks when you won there.
“They’re wheeling this thing (clock) in my front door of my house one day and I was like ‘what are you guys doing, who bought this thing? It was the most beautiful grandfather clock that I’d ever seen. The most ironic thing about winning the clock was that my grandfather passed away the week before (he got the clock), so my clock’s name is ‘Al’ and it’s sitting right there in my foyer today. It’s the best gift that I could have received after winning a race and losing my grandfather.”
Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) enters Martinsville sixth in the 2009 driver standings, 26 points behind fifth place and 155 points behind series leader Jeff Gordon. Kahne has improved his finish in every race this season. After finishing 29th in the season opener at Daytona, Kahne has finished 12th, 11th, seventh and fifth, respectively, in the last four races. For Kahne, who is making his 11th career start at Martinsville, success at the tricky half-miler has just as much to do with equipment as it does skill.
“The first time I was here, I could barely get around it (the track),” said Kahne. “I wasn’t even close to qualifying well here. The next year, I was better and the car drove 10-times better than the year before and we ran second.”
Other Notes:
• AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Charter Dodge Charger) made his Dodge Motorsports debut last fall at Martinsville, driving the No. 10 Dodge to a 15th-place finish.
• Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger) made his Cup debut at Martinsville in the 2007 fall event.
• Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Stanley Dodge Charger) will be making his 21st start at Martinsville. His best finish, fifth, came in the 2003 spring event.
• David Stremme (No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger) had his best run of the season going last week at Bristol before cutting down a tire with less than 50 laps to go. He still managed to finish 19th.
• Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Charter Dodge Charger) will be making his seventh start at Martinsville. Car owner Richard Petty recorded 15 of his 200 career victories at Martinsville.

What You Need To Know
The Race: Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500
The Date: Sunday, March 29
The Place: Martinsville Speedway; .526-mile oval
The Time: 2 p.m. ET
The Distance: 500 laps/263 miles
TV: Fox, 1:30 p.m. ET
Green Flag: Fox, 2:13 p.m. ET (approx.)

2009 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Rank Points Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Earnings
Kurt Bush 2 794 -76 5 0 1 2 3 $878,388
Kasey Kahne 6 639 -155 5 0 0 1 2 $913,738
AJ Allmendinger 16 532 -262 5 0 0 1 1 $1,178,840
Elliott Sadler 17 530 -264 5 0 0 1 1 $922,913
David Stremme 22 502 -292 5 0 0 0 0 $834,448
Reed Sorenson 29 457 -337 5 0 0 0 1 $874,878
Sam Hornish Jr. 32 398 -396 5 0 0 0 0 $714,468

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(Top 12 after 5 of 36 races)
1. Jeff Gordon 794
2. Kurt Busch -76
3. Clint Bowyer -79
4. Kyle Busch -85
5. Carl Edwards -129
6. Kasey Kahne -155
7. Tony Stewart -161
8. Denny Hamlin -163
9. Jimmie Johnson -167
10. Matt Kenseth -184
11. David Reutimann -187
12. Kevin Harvick -210

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV
(All Times Eastern)

Friday, March 27
12:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Camping World Final Truck Practice (SPEED)
3:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Qualifying (SPEED)
5:00 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
7:00 p.m. – Trackside at Martinsville (SPEED)
8:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Qualifying (re-run) (SPEED)
Saturday, March 28
9:00 a.m. – Camping World Truck Qualifying (SPEED)
10:00 a.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
10:30 a.m. – Sprint Cup Practice (SPEED)
11:30 a.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
2:00 p.m. – Camping World ‘Kroger 250’ (Fox)
8:00 p.m. – NASCAR Performance (SPEED)
8:30 p.m. – NASCAR Smarts (SPEED)
Sunday, March 29
11:30 a.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pre-Race Show (Fox)
2:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup ‘Goody’s Fast Relief 500 (Fox) Green Flag: 2:13 p.m.
7:00 p.m. – SPEED Report (SPEED)
8:00 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)
9:00 p.m. – Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (SPEED)

Source: Chrysler Media Services, Motorsports

LAS VEGAS – The Dodge Boys head to the desert and the 1.5-mile Last Vegas Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Shelby 427 – the third of 36 point races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Six of the seven Dodge team are guaranteed a spot in the 43-car starting field based on a top-35 finish in the 2008 owner point standings.

The 2009 owner points will be used to determine the top 35 after the fifth race (Bristol) of the 2009 season.

With two top-10 finishes to start the 2009 season, Las Vegas native Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) looks to continue his impressive streak while searching for his first career win at LVMS. Posting one top-five and two top-10 finishes in eight previous starts, a trip to Victory Lane at his home track would be a dream come true for Busch.

“Yeah, winning at Vegas would be extra special for sure,” said Busch. “Me and my little brother (Kyle) have had plenty of success in the ‘bull ring’ dirt track across the street, but the speedway is where I really want a win.

“Our Miller Lite Dodge has been solid the first two races of the year. We have a solid race package and the new R6P8 (race engine) is providing the power we need to run with the ‘big boys’. A Vegas win would certainly be special.”

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) looks to jump-start a sluggish 2009 beginning. Currently 23rd in Sprint Cup driver points, Kahne has two top-five and three top-10 finishes in five previous starts at LVMS.

“I think the race in California gave us a lot of confidence and an idea that we are heading in the right direction,” said the nine-time Sprint Cup Series winner. “The team did a lot of work in the off-season to make our cars better and I felt like that paid off at California. We still have some work to do, but we definitely made some gains and I think that will show this weekend.”

Other Notes:

· AJ Allmendinger (No. 43 Harrah’s Dodge Charger) will be making his first-career start at LVMS. He currently sits only seven points out of the coveted top-12 in NSCS driver point standings.

· Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Stanley Tools Dodge Charger) currently sits 11th in driver points and will be making his 360th career Sprint Cup start this weekend.

· Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Valvoline Dodge Charger) is the fourth Dodge driver currently inside the top-15 in the NSCS point standings. Sorenson was the second-highest finishing Richard Petty Motorsports-entry last weekend at California.

· David Stremme (No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger) rebounded from a disappointing Daytona 500 with a top-15 finish at California. Stremme started on the outside of the front row at the 2007 event at LVMS.

· Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger) jumped three spots (to 29th) in the driver standings after a solid 23rd-place finish in California last weekend.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP

SERIES POINT STANDINGS

(Top 12 after 2 of 36 races)

1. Matt Kenseth 385

2. Jeff Gordon -81

3. Kurt Busch -91

4. Tony Stewart -91

5. Greg Biffle -117

6. Clint Bowyer -119

7. Michael Waltrip -121

8. David Ragan -123

9. Carl Edwards -125

10. Juan Montoya -129

11. Elliott Sadler -137

12. David Reutimann -137

What You Need To Know

Race: Shelby 427
Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Date: Sunday, March 1

Time: 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Track: 1.5-mile oval

Distance: 284 laps/427 miles
Television: Fox, Pre-Race begins at 3:30 p.m. (ET)

Motorsports on TV

(All Eastern Time)
1:00 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Practice – Las Vegas (SPEED)
3:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice – Las Vegas (SPEED)
4:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Final Practice (SPEED)
6:00 p.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
6:00 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
6:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Qualifying (SPEED)
8:30 p.m. – Trackside at Las Vegas (SPEED)
9:30 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
10:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Practice (SPEED)
11:30 p.m. – Trackside at Las Vegas (SPEED)

Saturday, Feb. 28

11:00 a.m. – Trackside at Las Vegas (SPEED)
12:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Qualifying (SPEED)
1:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice (SPEED)
2:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
4:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Countdown (ESPN2)
4:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Race – Sam’s Town 300 (ESPN2)

Sunday, March 1
10:00 a.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
2:00 p.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
3:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pre-Race Show (Fox)

4:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Race – Shelby 427 (Fox) Green flag at 4:46 p.m.
7:00 p.m. – SPEED Report (SPEED)

8:30 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)

9:30 p.m. – Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (SPEED)

Source: Chrysler Media Services Release, Motorsports

FONTANA, Calif. – The off-season work at Penske Racing appears to be paying dividends on the track in 2009. Kurt Busch recorded his second straight top-10 finish in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger with a solid fifth in the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway.

Busch raced in the top five throughout the 250-lap event on the two-mile, D-shaped oval. He led once and received solid support from his team as crew chief Pat Tryson kept pace with the changing track conditions from day to night with accurate adjustments and the over-the-wall crew turned in consistently fast pit stops throughout the race which lasted 20 minutes short of four hours.

Combined with a 10th at Daytona in the season opener, Busch jumped to third in the season point standings.

“It was a good night for us,” Busch said. “I felt that our car had a great set-up in it. Our crew did a great job on pit road on our stops with the Miller Lite Dodge. We’re happy. A top-five finish is good.

“It’s an excellent turnaround over the off-season. It’s only one race; we still have a long way to go. It was a good solid run for us. We ran in the top five all day and came home fifth. I think some of the off-season changes have helped. It’s a good way to get a report card early. We have to keep working on it, making good adjustments and putting ourselves in position to win.”

Tryson says Penske teams are doing things differently. “We’re doing some stuff different than we did last year, so it’s a pretty good way to start the season. We still have a lot to learn with this car, but two top 10s to start the season, that’s good momentum. We still have more to do, but we’ve taken a big step from where we were last year. Hopefully we can keep tweaking on it and get ourselves in position to win races.”

Busch’s teammate, David Stremme, finished 13th as 16 cars were on lead lap at the checkered flag. A tire problem at Daytona nixed a strong run by the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge, so Stremme was anxious to rebound. “We needed a solid finish after the misfortune at Daytona,” he said. Roy (crew chief, McCauley) and the crew did a good job. We were off in qualifying, but made a lot of improvement in practice and the car was even better in the race. I’m really proud of the finish we had. We still have more work to do, but it was a solid run for the No. 12 Dodge team.”
The third driver from the Penske stable, Sam Hornish Jr., ran in the top 15 through the early part of the race before a jack malfunctioned during a pit stop and left the No. 77 Auto Club Dodge team a lap down. Although Hornish was running laps comparable to those cars on the lead lap during the race, he never got the opportunity to make up the deficit.

“We had a pretty good car and should have had a better finish,” said Hornish. “We had a problem with the jack on a green flag pit stop and ended up losing a lap. Then I sped on pit road. We had a small problem and compounded it into a bigger problem. We just couldn’t get the lap back. We should have been a lot better than 23rd. We got what we could out of it today. We ran a good race. The team worked together. I was happy with the Auto Club Dodge and the people working on it. This car was much better than the cars I’ve had here the last couple of races. That’s what was disappointing. I feel like we had close to a top-10 car.”

Other Dodge finishes:

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) – Kahne fell a lap down early, but managed to make up the deficit with a chance of making it into the top 10 in the closing laps before settling for 12th. “I feel we still have some work to do to catch those front three or four cars. They are so much quicker. From sixth or seventh back, we’re just a little off. Those front four or five, they were really tough today.”

Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Charter Communications Dodge Charger) – Sorenson received a pit-road speeding penalty early. Coupled with a 96-lap green flag segment, the No. 43 Dodge went a lap down to the leaders, but Sorenson battled back to finish 21st. “Man that was a tough night for us,” Sorenson said. “We struggled trying to get our car to turn in the center of the corner. There for a while, the only way I could get the car to turn was to pitch it sideways. For as much as we struggled, to walk out of here with the finish we did is a pretty good feeling. We’ll be better in Las Vegas.”

Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Best Buy Dodge Charger) – Handling problems slowed Sadler early, but the team rebounded in the second half of the race to finish 25th. “The No. 19 Best Buy Dodge was really missing on the front end,” said Sadler. “We came a long way from practice yesterday, but we’re still missing something. We tried some things that we learned at Rockingham during the off-season, but it didn’t transfer as well as we would have liked to this track. We had great pit stops all night long and I can’t thank the No. 19 crew enough. They really worked hard tonight to get us as much as they could. Tonight may not have been exactly what we were looking for, but we learned some things and got as many points as we possibly could. What we learned tonight should help us get better next weekend in Las Vegas.”

AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Charter Communications Dodge Charger) – Allmendinger started eighth and was looking to match his season-opening third at Daytona. He finished 29th. “We had no front grip all night long no matter what changes we made,” he said. “We made a lot of changes to the Charter Dodge throughout the race, but nothing seemed to help the car gain front grip. We were so tight in the center that it just killed us. I’ll give my guys credit, they stayed with me and we worked on it throughout the race and got it pretty decent there at the end.”

Source: Chrysler Media Services Release, Motorsports

FONTANA, Calif. – By placing four Dodge Chargers in the top 10 at last weekend’s Daytona 500, the ‘Dodge Boys’ raised plenty of eyebrows while making a definitive racing statement to its competitors: “We’re back!”

With early proven success and high-horse-powered momentum with them, Richard Petty Motorsports and Penske Racing lead a seven-car Dodge Charger contingent to the West Coast for this weekend’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Charter Communications Dodge Charger) was determined to race in last weekend’s Daytona 500. Without a guaranteed starting spot in the field of 43, Allmendinger did it the ‘old fashioned way’. He earned it. His 10th-place finish in the second Gatorade Duel at historic Daytona International Speedway earned him one of two automatic transfers to the Great American Race.

“I was tired of being on the sidelines watching 200,000 race fans cheer for other drivers other than me,” said a determined Allmendinger. “It’s our biggest race of the year and I wanted to be a part of it.”

This weekend will be no exception. The long trip out West is as much a reality check for team and drivers as anything. With only a handful of restrictor plate races on the 36-race schedule, Allmendinger and the Dodge Boys know that California will be a true litmus test.

“This is where the season really begins,” said Allmendinger. “We only run four restrictor plate races, but we race a lot on the two-mile and mile-and-a-half tracks. The teams that do well on tracks like this are the teams that are going to be fighting for a place in The Chase.”

Dodge veteran Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Best Buy Dodge Charger) had destiny on his finger tips last weekend as he led the Daytona 500 field with only 60 laps to go and ominous weather approaching. However, fate would intervene and take away any chance of sending the Virginia-native to Victory Lane. Sadler was passed by Matt Kenseth, with drafting help from Kevin Harvick, on the final green-flag lap of the race that ended with 152 of the scheduled 200 laps completed.
“It was emotional for me,” said Sadler. “It’s was raining on the radar and not on the track…just my luck. The end of the Daytona 500 was a tough one to swallow. But I can honestly say that now it’s time to focus on the positive. I had a top-five finish, led more laps in one race than I did in all of 2008 and I’m in a great position to start the season.”

Riding the momentum of his fifth-place finish at Daytona last weekend keeps Sadler focused on the ‘marathon’ and not the ‘sprint’. Sadler’s Auto Club Speedway career statistics include one win, one top-five and two top-10s in 15 career starts.

“It’s a long season,” Sadler added. “Last week we led laps. We were in position to win the race, came up a bit short but still finished in the top-five. We are tied for fourth in points. We are on track after the first race of the season to accomplish those goals. We just have to go to Fontana and prove that we’re just as strong at the two-mile tracks as we were on (restrictor) plate tracks.”

Other Notes:
• Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger) holds the Auto Club Speedway record for most pole positions earned (three). Busch has posted top-20 starts in all 10 of his races at Auto Club Speedway.
• Reed Sorenson (No. 43 Charter Communications Dodge Charger) currently sits ninth in NSCS driver points. Sorenson’s career-best at ACS is 21st – which he has accomplished three times.
• Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) has the lone Dodge victory at ACS. With an impressive seven top-10s in 10 career starts at ACS, Kahne’s driver rating of 99.2 is fifth-best.
• David Stremme (No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger) will be making only his third start at the spring event in Fontana. He has one top-20 finish.
• Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 77 AAA of California Dodge Charger) was caught up in an early on-track incident in last year’s spring event at Fontana where he finished 43rd.

NASCAR SPRINT CUP POINT STANDINGS
(Top 12 after 1 of 36 races)

1. Matt Kenseth 190
2. Kevin Harvick -20
3. AJ Allmendinger -25
4. Clint Bowyer -30
5. Elliott Sadler -30
6. David Ragan -40
7. Tony Stewart -43
8. Michael Waltrip -44
9. Reed Sorenson -52
10. Martin Truex Jr. -55
11. Kurt Busch -56
12. Jeff Gordon -61

What You Need To Know

The Race: Auto Club 500
The Place: Auto Club Speedway
The Date: Sunday, February 22
The Time: 6:15 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 2-mile oval
The Distance: 250 laps
Television: FOX, Pre-Race begins at 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Dodge Weekend Motorsports on TV, Radio
(All Times Eastern)
Friday, Feb. 20
12:00 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
3:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Practice (SPEED)
4:30 p.m. – NCWTS Pole Qualifying (SPEED)
6:30 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pole Qualifying (SPEED)
8:30 p.m. – Nationwide Series Final Practice (SPEED)
10:00 p.m. – Trackside (SPEED)
11:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Qualifying (re-air) (SPEED)

Saturday, Feb. 21
11:00 a.m. – Trackside (SPEED)
12:00 p.m. – NASCAR Live (SPEED)
12:30 p.m. – Nationwide Qualifying (SPEED)
3:00 p.m. – NCWTS Race (FOX)
5:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Final Practice (SPEED)
7:00 p.m. – Nationwide Series Countdown (ESPN2)
7:45 p.m. – Nationwide Series Race (ESPN2)

Sunday, Feb. 22
10:00 a.m. – NASCAR Now (ESPN2)
3:30 p.m. – NASCAR RaceDay (SPEED)
5:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Pre-Race Show (FOX)
6:00 p.m. – Sprint Cup Race (FOX)
7:00 p.m. – SPEED Report (SPEED)
9:00 p.m. – Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (SPEED)
10:00 p.m. – NASCAR Victory Lane (SPEED)

– 30 –

Source: Chrysler Media Services Release, Motorsports

–Richard Petty

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Mother Nature played a big role in the outcome of Sunday’s Daytona 500 by halting the event with rain after 152 of 200 laps were completed. Had she intervened just one lap earlier, Dodge would have successfully defended its Daytona 500 title, with Elliott Sadler nearly taking the checkered flag.

Despite this turn of events, four members of the Dodge Motorsports team finished in the top-10. Here’s how the whole team did:

• 3rd – A.J. Allmendinger, #44 Valvoline Dodge Charger
• 5th – Elliott Sadler, #19 Stanley Dodge Charger
• 9th – Reed Sorenson, #43 McDonald’s Dodge Charger
• 10th – Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
• 29th – Kasey Kahne, #9 Budweiser Dodge Charger
• 32nd – Sam Hornish, Jr., #77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
• 33rd – David Stremme, #12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger

Elliott Sadler took the lead on lap 122 in the No. 19 Stanley Dodge Charger. He had a strong push from teammate Reed Sorenson from the second spot as reports of rain converging on the 2.5-mile track intensified. Sadler held the point for 24 circuits, but when Sorenson was tapped from behind on lap 146, the rear end of the No. 43 McDonald’s Dodge Charger lost traction briefly which allowed eventual winner Matt Kenseth and runner-up Kevin Harvick to make the pass and take aim at Sadler. The two drafted past Sadler’s No. 19 Stanley’s Dodge Charger just as the rain began to intensify. The caution appeared just after lap 146 was completed. After six laps under yellow, the red flag was displayed and the cars were stopped on pit road. After a 20-minute wait, NASCAR® officials announced the race had been called.

“On one hand, I’m very happy and on the other, I’m really disappointed,” said Sadler. “We got a top-five finish for Stanley, Dodge and Richard Petty Motorsports and that’s a great (Daytona) 500 finish for us. On the other hand, I was one lap from winning the Daytona 500 and that’s hard to swallow. With the off-season that I’ve had, I feel like I deserved that win more than anyone. I really wanted to go to Victory Lane. I just needed to hang on for one more lap to win the Daytona 500.”

Click through for more thoughts from the team

All seven Dodge teams made the field for the 51st running of “The Great American Race” with four finishing in the top 10 including all three entries from Richard Petty Motorsports. AJ Allmendinger finished third in the No. 44 Valvoline Dodge Charger while Sadler held on for fifth. Sorenson was ninth and Kurt Busch finished 10th in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger from Penske Racing.

Richard Petty said, “I’m very proud of the boys. They ran hard – and smart – all day long. This is one heck of a way to start the season. This is how we wanted Richard Petty Motorsports to start. I think George (Gillett Jr.) and I have something good here. This is just the beginning and we’re excited for the next couple races. Hopefully, this isn’t the last time that you will see those boys at the front of the pack working together like that.”

Allmendinger started 20th and had worked his way into the top 10 by lap 50. He remained in the top 10 the rest of the race, advancing as high as second. His third-place finish was a career best in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“The Valvoline Dodge was really fast today,” said Allmendinger. “I could run up front all day. The car was really consistent. It felt really good to run up front with everybody. The guys at Richard Petty Motorsports build great cars. I was hoping it would rain when Elliott was leading, Reed was second and I was fourth. That would have been a really great result for the team. I was trying to push Reed and Elliott as much as I could. They are the ones that got me into the race. It was my turn to return the favor and try to get them the win.”

During Thursday’s 150-lap qualifying race Sadler and Sorenson dropped back in the field to team up with Allmendinger and helped him earn one of two transfer spots to the Daytona 500.

“Kevin had a great run and got under me,” said Allmendinger. “That shuffled Reed out. I had to dive down with him because I was going to get really shuffled out if I didn’t get back in line.

“It’s a great result. I wish we could have finished the race. The car was fast. I would have loved to have had a chance to win the race. To finish third after everything we’ve gone through in the off season is great.”

It was Sadler’s sixth straight finish of 11th or better in the Daytona 500. He was sixth in last year’s event.

“If you’d told me at the beginning of the day that I would finish fifth and lead some laps in the Daytona 500, I probably would have taken it,” Sadler said. “It’s a great way to get a good start to the season.

“But to be a half-a-lap short of being the champion of the Daytona 500 is very emotional to me. I had a chance to win it. I just made one mistake off turn four; I didn’t drag the brake enough.

“I really wanted to go to Victory Lane with my guys. I needed this after the off-season that I’ve had. It didn’t work out, but I’m happy for my guys. We had ourselves in position to win.”

Busch was involved in a 10-car mishap on lap 124. Although the team managed to make repairs during the caution, the No. 2 Dodge was without a rear bumper, eliminating the opportunity to receive help via the bump draft.

“We ended up without a rear bumper, but with all the hard work that went into the preparation of this car, it feels good to have a top-10 finish with the Miller Lite Dodge and Penske Racing. I had nowhere to go in the wreck. I hit somebody, somebody hit me and I spun around. The mishap tore the rear bumper off, so that eliminated the push from the bump draft. It feels pretty good to be 10th after what we went through.”

Horsepower wasn’t an issue for Sam Hornish Jr. in the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger. Overheating was. Hornish had to drop to the rear of the field out of the draft a couple of times to let the engine get more air. The rain came just as he had launched another run toward the front. He finished 32nd.

David Stremme was running 10th in the No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger and headed to pit road for tires and fuel on lap 118 when he cut down a right rear tire, causing extensive sheet metal damage. Stremme finished 33rd. The No. 12 Dodge was the Daytona 500 champion in 2008.

NASCAR and the NASCAR logo are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Racing, Inc.

Whether or not you follow NASCAR® closely, you know that the Daytona 500 is “the” event. You might even know that last year’s winner was driving a Dodge. But what you might not know is that races leading up to the big kickoff have already been happening. Thanks to the outcome of these races, all seven Dodge Motorsports teams will start in the Daytona 500. Here’s how the starting lineup looks:

• 13 – Kurt Busch, #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
• 15 – Kasey Kahne, #9 Budweiser Dodge Charger
• 20 – A.J. Allmendinger, #44 Valvoline Dodge Charger
• 24 – David Stremme, #12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger
• 29 – Sam Hornish, Jr., #77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger
• 30 – Elliott Sadler, #19 Stanley Dodge Charger
• 34 – Reed Sorenson, #43 McDonald’s Dodge Charger

Read on for a recap of what’s been leading up to the Daytona 500, which takes place Sunday Feb. 15 at 3:20 p.m.

The Budweiser Shootout went down on Feb. 7 with three Dodge drivers finishing in the top-10.

• 5th – A.J. Allmendinger
• 6th – Kasey Kahne
• 9th – Kurt Busch
• 16th – David Stremme
• 21st – Elliott Sadler
• 23rd – Reed Sorenson

The two Gatorade Duels took place on Feb. 12, with at least one Dodge in the top-10 in each. This is the type of momentum we hope to see for the rest of the season.

In Gatorade Duel 1, two Dodge drivers placed in the top-10. Here’s how the whole team did:

• 6th – Kurt Busch
• 7th – Kasey Kahne
• 16th – Sam Hornish, Jr.

Gatorade Duel 2, the last event before “the big one,” found a Dodge in the top-10 once again.

• 10th – A.J. Allmendinger, #44 Valvoline Dodge Charger
• 12th – David Stremme, #12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger
• 17th – Elliott Sadler, #19 Stanley Dodge Charger
• 21st – Reed Sorenson, #43 McDonald’s Dodge Charger

With the Daytona 500 almost here, treat your Valentine extra nice on the 14th so you have a good excuse to kick back and watch the race on Sunday.

NASCAR and the NASCAR logo are registered trademarks of the National Association for Stock Car Racing, Inc.