NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: No News Not Good News For Dodge?
Dodge’s future in NASCAR remains uncertain...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted June 30, 2012   Sparta, KY
While the 2013 Dodge Charger was unveiled back in March, the manufacturer may not have any cars on the track next season in the Sprint Cup Series. (Photo: SPEED)
Dodge still doesn’t have any dance partners in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for 2013, when Penske Racing moves to Ford for a long-term partnership. But it might soon.

Friday, Dodge released a curiously worded statement confirming the automaker had no deal in place for next season.

The statements, attributed to Beth Paretta, Director of Marketing and Operations – SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC, read as follows.

“While we continue to evaluate plans in NASCAR for 2013 and beyond, we have no commitments with any partners at this time,” the Dodge statement read. “We continue to be pleased with the amount of interest from the media and fans in our motorsports program and will continue to follow our process as established in a timely manner. When decisions are finalized, we will announce them at that time. Currently what is most important is that we have not lost any focus on 2012 and our partnership with Penske Racing. Our commitment to win races and compete for championships with Penske Racing in both the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series this season remains firm. We will not lose focus on that partnership as we make decisions about our future in NASCAR.”

And Penske Racing issued its own statement, denying an Internet report that its engine program had been sold.

“Contrary to recent published speculation, Penske Racing has not sold its engine company,” said Penske Racing president Tim Cindric in a statement. “The team’s focus continues to be on successfully completing the 2012 season, competing for championships and victories in the both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series for Dodge and our other sponsor partners.”

So for now, Dodge’s 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup plans — if any — remain in limbo.

But after issuing a statement Friday that Dodge had no deal in place and implying nothing was imminent, Paretta Tweeted this on Saturday morning: “Get ready for a major announcement from @Viger_gunshow (Bryan Viger SRT Motorsports Manager/Chrysler Group LLC) and me in Daytona!”

A Dodge spokesman at Kentucky Speedway said Saturday afternoon he had no knowledge of any announcement from the company at Daytona next week.

So far, Andretti Autosport has been prominently linked to Dodge, as has Richard Petty Motorsports, although the lack of a partner now might indicate that Dodge’s future in NASCAR is in the hands of its parent company, the Italian Fiat conglomerate. And the folks in Italy might not be as sold on NASCAR as the folks in Detroit.

Then again, the future of Dodge in NASCAR could become clear at Daytona next week.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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