Dodge Intrepid R/T Receives NASCAR Approval
4 September 2000
Dodge Intrepid R/T Receives NASCAR Approval
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 1 Dodge Motorsports today
reached a significant milestone in its return to Winston Cup racing with the
announcement that NASCAR has approved the body templates for its Dodge Winston
Cup Intrepid R/T race car.
"We are very pleased to receive approval from NASCAR on our car design,"
said Lou Patane, Vice President of Motorsports Operations and Mopar
Performance Parts. "This effort has really been a partnership with our Dodge
engineers and the three development teams -- Evernham Motorsports, Bill Davis
Racing and Petty Enterprises. The final result is that we have an approved
body style and shape that reflects the distinctive Dodge R/T brand. It will
be as recognizable on the track as our Ram trucks are in the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series."
Dodge Motorsports initially presented a car to NASCAR for approval in
early August. Following the initial meeting, NASCAR conducted wind tunnel
testing in Georgia and on-track testing with Bill Elliott at the Atlanta Motor
Speedway.
NASCAR was satisfied with the initial designs and today granted permission
for the five Dodge teams to order the body templates.
Dodge began developing the racecar and engine last fall, beginning with
the Dodge Intrepid R/T passenger car body style and adapting the aerodynamics
and chassis to Winston Cup racing. Dodge first unveiled the Dodge Dealers
Intrepid R/T show car at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show, tested the car in the
wind tunnel in the Spring and conducted its first on-track testing at
Homestead-Miami Speedway on May 2.
"We are honored to have been part of the process of designing a new car
for NASCAR Winston Cup competition," said Ray Evernham, team owner and leader
of the development effort. "We have worked closely with NASCAR to develop a
car to meet their standards. We are proud of the development work we did on
the car. Hats off to the guys in Dodge engineering and in the race shops at
Bill Davis Racing and Petty Enterprises for a job well done. It would never
have been possible without them and the one team approach."
Dodge is approaching the development of the Intrepid R/T race car in much
the same way it designs and builds passenger cars and trucks -- using a
platform team that combines many different disciplines and skills in a
collaborative effort.
While Ray Evernham leads the development of the Dodge Intrepid R/T for
NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing in 2001, he and the other race teams are
working closely with Dodge platform engineers and technicians and have their
knowledge, experience, advanced software and world-class engineering tools at
their disposal.
"The development, review and approval process went very smoothly,
especially in light of all we had to accomplish in less than 500 days," said
Tim Culbertson, Dodge NASCAR Winston Cup Program Manager. "It would not have
been possible without the leadership of Jeff Bordner, Dodge NASCAR Winston Cup
Aerodynamic Team Leader, and his design team, who worked side-by-side with the
engineers at our three development teams. The effectiveness of our design
process is proof that our guys are really doing their homework as we prepare
to compete in NASCAR Winston Cup in 2001. And, many thanks to the folks in
NASCAR's technical department for the support and input they gave us."
Dodge will now turn its focus to preparing the engine for presentation to
NASCAR in the Fall.
"We're running engine tests in the race shop and working getting our new
engine ready to present," said Evernham. "We have run the engine in several
500-mile tests and it has performed very well. We will continue to test the
engine for durability and speed over long distances. We got a lot of work
ahead of us, but we're making good progress."
Dodge will make its debut in NASCAR Winston Cup racing at the 2001 Daytona
500 with five teams and 10 race cars. The teams include Evernham Motorsports,
with Bill Elliott and Casey Atwood; Bill Davis Racing with Ward Burton and
Dave Blaney; Petty Enterprises and Kyle Petty and John Andretti; Melling
Racing with Stacy Compton; and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
"Dodge 500" Countdown to 2001 Daytona 500:
170 days, 18 hours, 30 minutes