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Putting Penske’s Switch To Ford In Perspective

by Chris Leone, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I do weekly Fantasy Pick'Em columns here at OPR, as well as the occasional opinion and analysis piece. I also provide the IZOD IndyCar Series coverage. For more on that, head to my site, OpenWheelAmerica.com. My Twitter handle is @christopherlion.

March 1, 2012 11:58 am UTC No Comments

Kurt Busch, driver of the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 26, 2011 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

SONOMA, CA - JUNE 26: Kurt Busch, driver of the #22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on June 26, 2011 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Penske Racing announced today that they will be making the switch from Dodge engines to Fords in 2013, ending a 10-year relationship with the brand that saw Penske-prepped Intrepids, Chargers, and Challengers take 42 combined Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series wins. Among the highlights of the relationship were Penske’s first Daytona 500 victory, eight Chase for the Sprint Cup berths, and the 2010 Nationwide Series championship. 2011 Chase contender Brad Keselowski will drive a Ford at the sport’s highest level for the first time, while new addition A.J. Allmendinger will drive for his fourth Ford-powered team since 2004, counting his three years in Champ Car.

This won’t be team owner Roger Penske’s first time with Ford in NASCAR, either. From 1994 to 2002, Penske fielded Thunderbirds and Tauruses for primary drivers Rusty Wallace, Jeremy Mayfield, and Ryan Newman. The relationship started off hot, as Wallace would win eight races in 1994 and 15 in his first three years as a blue oval driver. He would add eight more victories from 1997 to 2001, while Mayfield would add three more from 1998 to 2001 and Newman would take his first career victory in 2002.

Penske left Ford after the 2002 season to join Dodge, then only two years into its return to NASCAR and struggling to establish a solid footing in the sport. The brand would succeed at Daytona, sweeping the front row in 2001 and winning in 2002 with Ward Burton, and had a championship challenger in 2002 with Sterling Marlin. But all that promise didn’t lead to much; Marlin’s third place in 2001 points made him the only driver to crack the top 10 either year.

The switch would pay immediate dividends, as Newman would match Wallace’s feat by winning eight races with a new manufacturer in 2003. Wallace would add a win himself, and where Dodge had only scored 10 wins with 10 cars in 2001 and 2002, Penske had nearly doubled the brand’s win total in 2003 alone with two cars. Kurt Busch would join the team in 2006 and have a handful of good seasons with the team, Newman would add a Daytona 500 win in 2008, and Penske Racing would become far and away Dodge’s most prominent and important team as the 2000s went on.

Meanwhile, many of Dodge’s other teams would either leave the brand or fall off the map entirely. A series of sales and mergers turned former flagship teams Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises into the same entity, which joined the Ford ranks in 2010. Chip Ganassi Racing would merge into Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2009, switching to Chevrolet. Bill Davis Racing defaulted on its Dodge contract by running Toyotas in the Craftsman Truck Series, eventually joining them in Sprint Cup in 2007. Other teams, like Melling Racing, Ultra Motorsports, and A.J. Foyt’s NASCAR operation, simply folded.

Penske has worked with just about every major company in motorsports. In fact, he has a history of establishing long relationships with brands, then ending them for something better. It’s happened more than once in the past few years; the most notable instance came last year, when the team dumped a long association with Mobil 1 to resume a partnership with Pennzoil that had ended after 1990.

This move has huge implications for everybody involved, particularly the manufacturers. For Ford, it’s a signal that they’ve come all the way back after a handful of lean years. As recently as 2008, Ford only fielded eight full-time cars, lowest in the series. While five of those came from the perennial contender Roush Fenway Racing, Wood Brothers Racing would cut to a limited schedule for 2009 and beyond, and the two Yates Racing cars wouldn’t exist beyond 2009. But Richard Petty Motorsports and Front Row Motorsports (theoretically a continuation of Yates Racing) would add seven cars in 2010, while Roush would keep its fifth car alive through a transfer of owners’ points. That would give Ford 12 cars for 2010; adding the two Penske teams to this year’s Fords, the brand will have a powerful 14 car lineup in 2013.

The story is much more bleak for the lame-duck engine manufacturer. In 2008, Dodge had 13 full-time, fully funded, and competitive Sprint Cup teams. Five years later, Dodge will be left with only one: Robby Gordon Motorsports, whose participation in the series is limited at best. Unless they makes a serious play for an existing team to switch manufacturers, or gives a smaller operation a major boost, Dodge may be all but gone from stock car racing’s highest level next season.

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Brad Kesolowski, Penske Racing, Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman

Tagged with: A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski, Dodge, Ford, Jeremy Mayfield, Kurt Busch, Penske Racing, Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman

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NASCAR Pictures: Friday Qualifying for the Sylvania 300

by Charlie Turner

Thanks for stopping by OnPitRow.com and the Bench Racing with Steve and Charlie blog. The best NASCAR and IndyCar news and opinion, exclusive pictures and video. I'm Charlie Turner. Follow me on Twitter @onpitrow

September 24, 2011 9:33 pm UTC No Comments

Exclusive NASCAR photos from New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Our intrepid photog Glenn Bure was there and firing on all cylinders for the Friday Sprint Cup practice and qualifying action at The Magic Mile in Loudon. Nice work Glenn.

Photo credit: Glenn Bure – OnPitRow.com

Filed under: Brad Kesolowski, Carl Edwards, Chase for the Cup, Clint Boyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, New Hampshire International Speedway, NewHampshire Motor Speedway, Red Bull Racing, Ryan Newman, Stewart Haas Racing, The Busch Bros, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Loudon, Magic Mile, NASCAR pictures, sylvania 300

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NASCAR Pictures: Sunday Action at Pocono Raceway

by Charlie Turner

September 22, 2011 7:14 pm UTC No Comments

Exclusive Pocono 500 NASCAR race action and Driver photos

On Pit Row photographer Glenn Bure will be at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend capturing all three days Nationwide Series and Chase to the Sprint Cup action on the track and in the garage. we thought we’d give you a little taste of what to expect with some bonus images from the last Pocono weekend. Enjoy and leave Glenn some comments about his work.

Photo credit: Glenn Bure – OnPitRow.com

Filed under: A J Allmendinger, Brad Kesolowski, Brian Vickers, Carl Edwards, Clint Boyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., David Ragan, David Reutimann, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, jimmie johnson, Joe Nemechek, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, NASCAR, NASCAR photos, NewHampshire Motor Speedway, Paul Menard, Pocono Raceway, Robby Gordon, Ryan Newman, The Busch Bros, Tony Stewart

Tagged with: Glenn Bure, NASCAR pictures, Pennsylvania 500, sylvania 300

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Rainy Day NASCAR Racing Pictures from Chicagoland Speedway

by BethAnne, Special To NASCAR commentary and driver pictures, 2011 NASCAR schedule, video, Bench Racing With Steve and Charlie

I am the field producer/photographer of the syndicated radio show/website ON PIT ROW. When Steve and Charlie ask me to 'jump', I say "Yeah right."

September 20, 2011 9:25 am UTC No Comments

Exclusive NASCAR driver photos from Sunday at the GEICO 400

We were there, and we got wet, but it was still fun and I did get some really interesting shots of the non-race NASCAR action at Chicagoland Speedway Sunday. Tell me what you think in the comment section and please share these with your friends on Facebook too.