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Dodge NASCAR Winston Cup Program Update

11 January 2000

First Cars Done, Staff and Facilities Up and Running

    DETROIT -- Time flies when you're having fun.  But it rockets past when 
you start a 500-day countdown to develop a competitive motorsports program in 
America's most popular and competitive racing series.

    After just 100 days, the new Dodge NASCAR Winston Cup racing program is
well on its way toward its competitive debut at the 2001 Daytona 500.

    Make no mistake about it: the program, sponsored in a unique partnership
between Dodge and its almost 3,000 U.S. dealers, is right on schedule withvernham at the controls,
and the resources of Dodge Motorsports to draw from.

    Right on cue, the brand revealed tangible evidence of the new racing
effort it announced on October 14, with today's introduction of the Dodge
Intrepid R/T Winston Cup race car at the North American International Auto
Show.  And, at Evernham headquarters in North Carolina, where the sleek, Flame
Red racing machine was built, the staff and infrastructure are in place to
continue Dodge's determined, systematic progress toward the 2001 season.

    "We're launching our return to NASCAR Winston Cup racing with a winning
combination," said Lou Patane, Vice President - Motorsports Operations and
Mopar Performance Parts.  "When you combine a company with the winning
heritage and resources of Dodge with a proven winner like Ray Evernham, you're
going to get a lot done. We recognize that we have a long way to go and only
500 days to get there, but we're certainly off to a good start."

    The Dodge Intrepid R/T unveiled here today is one of two cars already
constructed in the North Carolina shops of Evernham Motorsports.

    "The car, we're proud to say, will clearly be recognized as a Dodge
Intrepid, and that's what it's all about," Evernham said.  "It maintains the
bold Dodge design while adhering to NASCAR's strict sheetmetal guidelines.
Specific style elements, such as its prominent 'cross hair' grille and its
aggressive stance match the Dodge cars and trucks you find at your
neighborhood Dodge dealer.  The added benefit of the Intrepid's sleek shape is
that it really lends itself to racing."

    While the personnel ranks have risen to some 12 key individuals in place,
Evernham Motorsports facilities in and around Charlotte -- an engine shop, a
research and development facility, and a 40,000-square-foot race shop set to
be up an running by 2001 -- have also taken serious shape.

    "Our management structure is firmly in place with people who have been on
championship teams," Evernham said.  "We have a lead engine builder, lead car
builders, and the test team is coming together.  If you dedicate top-notch
people to a project, the results show.  We have a responsibility to field two
competitive Dodge Intrepids in 2001 and there's no way we're not going to get
there."

    Ron Vicarro, who rose to engine-building prominence while with the late
Alan Kulwicki's championship effort in the early 1990s, is charged with
bringing the new Dodge 5.7-liter V-8 Winston Cup racing engine into the
winner's circle.

    Bill Dees, lead body fabricator on Jeff Gordon's three-time-championship
car at Hendrick Motorports, followed Evernham to the Dodge program, as did
chassis shop foreman Butch Lameroux.  Chad Knaus, who worked on two of
Gordon's championships, as well as with Dale Earnhart, comes on board as car
chief for the test program that commences in March.

    "We're further along than a lot of people expected," said Evernham, who
also has former Gordon and Kulwicki chief mechanic Ed Guzzo as Vice President
and General Manager, and sports marketing executive Steve Fogarty as Vice
President of Development.  "The whole key to the success of this project was
having a solid plan on paper before we ever got it rolling.  The cooperative
effort between Dodge and Evernham Motorsports and NASCAR is key to our ability
to meet our goals.  That continues to be the case every step of the way."

    In addition to the two show cars already built, the Evernham operation
also has four brand-new chassis built for its test team, which soon will mount
a rigorous development schedule.  The team also has a development car and
competitors' cars for wind tunnel testing that is well underway.

    By mid-March, the team plans to begin testing its Winston Cup cars using
modified versions of the engines from Dodge's successful run on the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series, while continuing the development and approval of the
Dodge Winston Cup engine in concert with NASCAR technical officials.

    "We hope to begin testing our Winston Cup motor in May," Evernham said.
"Relatively speaking, engine development is far more complicated than car
development because there are so many more parts and systems involved.  It's a
long, painstaking process, but we have a plan and all the right people to make
it happen."

    "Dodge 500" Countdown to 2001 Daytona 500:
    402 days, 5 hours, 30 minutes