CUP: Chrysler Group's Gilles Discusses Dodge Decision On Race Hub

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CUP: Chrysler Group’s Gilles Discusses Dodge Decision On Race Hub

Chrysler executive Ralph Gilles talks with NASCAR Race Hub and host Steve Byrnes...

Steve Byrnes | Posted August 07, 2012 Charlotte, NC

CHRYSLER GROUP’S RALPH GILLES DISCUSSES DODGE’S DECISION to LEAVE on NASCAR RACE HUB

Ralph Gilles, the Chrysler Group LLC, President and CEO of Street & Racing Technology (SRT), talked to NASCAR Race Hub and host Steve Byrnes tonight. Gilles talked about Dodge pulling out of NASCAR for 2013, and what went into the decision.

Here is what he had to say…

Steve Byrnes: Curious, the decision by Roger Penske to switch from Dodge – your nameplate – to Ford, did that catch you guys off guard? And how much did it set you back?

Ralph Gilles: A lot. I mean, it really did catch us off guard back on March 1 when that was announced. We were in kind of a look and see mode. Obviously, we hadn’t re-signed with Roger at the time, but we had to see the season through. All intents (were) to continue the relationship, so yes that set us back. Over the last 10 years, we’ve created a great relationship. Some of our engineers on Roger’s team are almost like family at this point, having been together so long. Yeah, it’s hard to recover from something like that.

Byrnes: Ralph, on March 11 you were quoted as saying, “The scenarios included everything from getting out of the sport, to spending three times as much.” I know you had some phone calls, some talented teams were interested in representing you, why ultimately the decision not to continue?

Gilles: Going back to the time when we talked about spending more, we actually did. We ended up activating much more in NASCAR because the company reviewed NASCAR last winter, basically, over the winter break; we looked at it and decided to get into it even more intensely. We activated more races, three times as many, going from six to 21 races, trying to get the most out of the infield. At the time, everything was kind of going well, and of course, the announcement came from Roger’s team. At that point, we were looking at all different options. We were actually pleasantly surprised by the amount teams and people that came our way that wanted to talk about opportunities. That obviously bodes well for our brand being very attractive to a lot of sponsors. At the time, we were still developing the 2013 car, which we showed to the public. A lot of things were really going well on one side, but the overall structure was actually much more complicated than we anticipated. Especially again, to hit the ground running at Daytona next year, you really have to have a lot of ducks in a row to make that happen. It just wasn’t coming together fast enough.

Byrnes: Understood. On the Nationwide side, the Dodge Challenger is a great looking car, it’s been very successful. Will you be able to continue that program? Or is this Dodge pulling all the way out?

Gilles: Unfortunately, yes, Dodge is pulling all the way out for 2013. I have to tell you, it really breaks my heart to do that. We have a lot of fans already sending us notes about it. They are really concerned, and really, frankly, upset about it. It’s something we don’t take lightly. It weighs heavy on us to know how much this devastates a lot of people – the families involved – in the shops down in North Carolina. It’s something we take very seriously. At the same time, we cut it now, let everyone understand our intent, so that they can prepare and move on, and do what they have to do. For 2013, we don’t want to give any speculation. We are completely out for 2013, and we’re going to assess the future at a later time.

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Steve Byrnes

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