NASCAR: Manufacturers Dodge and Nissan will have to wait until 2020
New manufacturers like Dodge and Nissan have been attempting to make their way into NASCAR competition, but they will have to be a little bit more patient.
For the longest time, NASCAR was considered to be an American-made sport with American engineering as the driving force behind it. Those times have drastically changed.
Back in 2007, Toyota burst onto the scene to the ire of many die-hard fans who’ve become accustomed to only seeing the American manufacturers race in their sport. Now we see foreign manufacturers like Toyota dominating and more seeking to join them.
Well, anyone looking to race in NASCAR is going to have to at least wait until 2020.
NASCAR president Brian Dewar stated that because no models and plans were introduced to corporate offices within the past year, they couldn’t allow a new team to join due to new constraints and time parameters that make the injection of new manufacturers in the sport a timely process.
Personally, I love the idea of more manufacturers joining the fray and building more rivalries. Obviously, the main draw is the driver’s competition, but at the same time, seeing manufacturers duke it out to see who can produce the better engines and chassis is a solid subplot for the sport.
With only three manufacturers currently competing, it just seems like there is something missing. I think a lot of it comes from the fact that Dodge, a manufacturing staple in the sport, left entirely back in 2012.
Rumors have been going on for a couple of years now that Dodge is looking to make a comeback into NASCAR. Also, in the past year, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne has been vocal about the desire to re-enter the competition.
With the recent alliance put in place between Richard Childress Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports, speculators have wondered if Dodge could attempt to seduce RCR away from their Chevrolet roots and be the flagship team for their resurgence.
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RCR have been with Chevrolet since their beginnings, but Hendrick Motorsports have pushed them further down the totem pole.
Heck, nobody ever thought Tony Stewart, a Chevrolet man himself, would switch to Ford, but when good money and solid equipment gets thrown at you, it can change your opinion quickly.
Reuniting Richard Petty Motorsports with Dodge would be a major caveat in this situation, as they would need to switch to whatever manufacturer RCR is attached to.
While getting Dodge back into the fold would be great, there have been other manufacturers standing in that same line and expressing interest in the sport. Nissan’s name has been thrown around the most compared to Honda, who have their hands tied to IndyCar for the time being.
Perhaps a team like Chip Ganassi Racing, who have gotten lower and lower on the Chevrolet priority list, like RCR, could be open to spearheading a new face like Nissan to NASCAR.
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Unfortunately, none of this will matter until at least 2020, but one thing is for sure: new manufacturers are coming. The writing is on the wall, whether it’s an old American friend or a fresh foreign one. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota should enjoy their time of leisure while they can because there could be a day in the near future when we have five to six different manufacturers fighting for the championship.