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Dodge Sees Casey Atwood's Winston Cup Debut as Preview of Future

8 September 2000

Dodge Sees Casey Atwood's Winston Cup Debut as Preview of Future

    RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 7 When Casey Atwood takes the green
on Saturday in his first Winston Cup race, the Dodge Motorsports folks will be
seeing red -- as in the Flame Red No. 19 Dodge Dealers Intrepid R/T Atwood
will drive next year in the Daytona 500.
    "This is a terrific way for Casey to get some experience running a faster,
heavier Winston Cup car and racing against some of the best in the business,"
said Lou Patane, Vice President, Motorsports Operations and Mopar Performance
Parts.  "We're very pleased that Evernham Motorsports and Motorola were able
to give Casey this opportunity."
    But the Dodge Motorsports team, its 3,000 Dodge Dealers and the UAW
National Training Center, associate sponsor of Evernham Motorsports, will be
watching Atwood with an eye on the future.  As part of the two-car Evernham
Motorsports team that was hand-selected by team owner Ray Evernham, Atwood
brings youth, raw talent and unbridled enthusiasm to pair with the experience,
skill and consistency of veteran Bill Elliott.
    "The whole Dodge development team is thrilled about the potential of
having Ray Evernham, Bill Elliott and Casey Atwood working together as part of
the our NASCAR Winston Cup program," said Patane.  "In less than two full
seasons of Busch Series racing, Casey has shown that he has a lot of talent.
It's exciting to think what he'll be able to do with support and tutoring from
veterans like Evernham and Elliott."
    While Dodge would like to see Atwood in victory lane, they see the main
goal of the three-race program as building experience for next year.
    "We'd love to see Casey win his very first time out, but we really hope he
has a safe, successful race," said Patane.  "I know Ray has promised Casey a
new Dodge Viper when he wins his first race, but I don't think that goes into
effect until next year.  But, he did turn some pretty fast laps during
practice last week, so he may surprise a few folks out there.  He has a lot of
talent, and he's worked hard this summer both on the track and off to get
ready for next year.  We can't wait to see him in red."
    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 with Kyle Petty and John Andretti; Melling
Racing with Stacy Compton; and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.