Dodge Still Pushes NASCAR Operations Despite Chrysler Cutbacks

Kurt Busch One Of Two Dodge Drivers Currently In Top 12

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? SI.com's Tom Bowles wrote NASCAR's success for years was "synonymous with Fords in Victory Lane," but the manufacturer this season is "feeling blue at the track." The '09 NASCAR season "started promisingly" with Matt Kenseth winning the Daytona 500, but it has "devolved into a serious slump for a company struggling to find its footing in the midst of strong performances from Dodge, Toyota, and especially longtime-rival Chevrolet." Ford Racing Technology Dir Brian Wolfe: "I won't pull any punches. It's a big disappointment. Not in my worst nightmare would I have believed we'd have two wins (at this point in the season)." Bowles noted Carl Edwards is the only Ford-affiliated driver in the top 10 of the points standings, and the manufacturer could be "on track for its worst performance" since '82 (SI.com, 8/13).

ALWAYS THE ONE: In Atlanta, Rachel Tobin Ramos reports Coca-Cola was a "big winner" in a June study from Atlanta-based FanLab that rated consumers' recall of NASCAR sponsors. The study surveyed 1,044 consumers and calculated "which NASCAR sponsors consumers recalled when not prompted." Coca-Cola came in fourth behind Budweiser, The Home Depot and Lowe's. However, FedEx, which sponsors Denny Hamlin, "failed to break the top 25," while UPS ranked 14th (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/14).

Print This Article