Chargers to star in NASCAR
Revamped Dodge recalls its storied past; racing debut could create buzz for sedan
By Brett Clanton / The Detroit News
A reborn version of Chrysler’s legendary Dodge Charger muscle car could be screaming around the high-walled turns of the Daytona 500 in February — at least one month before a street-ready Charger sedan lands in dealer showrooms.
DaimlerChrysler AG’s Dodge division has submitted a new car design to NASCAR for the 2005 Nextel Cup racing season, and is expected to name it Charger.
Doing so would recall a storied past in motor sports for the Charger, which was banned from NASCAR racing in 1965 for using an unorthodox V-8 engine design known as the “Hemi,” only later to became a NASCAR racing champion.
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http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0407/18/c01-215232.htm>A word of warning to American and Japanese car companies, the Germans are fixing to eat your lunch. DaimlerChrysler's shift to rear wheel drive cars seemingly has caught the rest of the industry flat footed and opens the door for a big shift in marketshare. The new Chrysler 300 sedan has captured the hearts a wide slice of the market from society matrons to rappers to law enforcement and now DC is zeroing in on the NASCAR crowd with a vengeance.