"It was certainly a surprise -- we have two 2004 Pontiacs (built), one 100 percent done and the other, 80 percent done," Jay Frye, general manager for MBV and MB2 Motorsports, said.
"There were some rumors at the end of last year that they (Pontiac) wouldn't continue but they came back, and they certainly showed a big commitment this year to continue with the program.
"So yeah, when we got notification today, it was a surprise. In 1997, GM asked us to run a Pontiac so we did. But all the same, we knew it was probably inevitable since there were only five teams, but the timing was a surprise."
Cal Wells' PPI Motorsports team, based in Hickory, N.C., was the only one of five Pontiac teams in Cup to score a victory this season, in the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 in March with driver Ricky Craven.
That success didn't insulate Wells from the shock of Tuesday's notification.
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"I was caught off guard, completely," Wells said. "We're disappointed, as PPI Motorsports is very proud to be a part of the Pontiac family (and) it was a tremendous honor to take the Pontiac Grand Prix to Victory Lane at Darlington Raceway in March."
The Pontiac brand has scored 154 victories in Winston Cup since its first, in 1957. Its high water mark was 1961 and 1962, when it scored 30 and 22 wins, respectively.
More recently, the Grand Prix won Winston Cup championships in 2000 (Bobby Labonte) and 2002 (Tony Stewart) in the hands of Joe Gibbs Racing.
In those two seasons Pontiacs scored 11 and five victories, respectively, with Labonte (four) and Stewart (three) each getting multiple wins.
Gibbs opted to switch to Chevrolet at the beginning of the 2003 season in both Winston Cup, where he still fields teams for his championship drivers; and the Busch Series, where son Coy Gibbs and Mike Bliss also drive Chevrolets.
Pontiac ranks fifth all time in Winston Cup victories, behind Ford (538), Chevrolet (525), Plymouth (190) and Dodge (181).
Among the five operations that currently use Pontiacs in Winston Cup, Frye joined Wells -- who would like to once again operate a second Winston Cup team to partner Craven's -- in saying his organization was definitely prepared to continue with Chevrolet.
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| Jay Frye's team ran two of the five Pontiacs in the Winston Cup Series. Credit: Autostock |
"We're continuing our preparations for 2004 and beyond," Wells said, adding that his General Motors contract mirrors his agreement with sponsor Tide, which carries through 2006. "There are a number of knock-on effects.
"I'm sure General Motors knows what's right for them and I'm sure they're making the right decision.
"We're going to be pleased to remain a part of their family in what appears to be a Chevrolet. . .and we're looking forward to the opportunities available to us with Chevrolet (because) I'm a GM team and I'm pleased to be."
"We've been a Pontiac team -- a General Motors team, since 1997," Frye said. "We had the senior position out of all of the Pontiac teams. We have always been committed to General Motors and our plan -- which we're very excited about -- is to be in a Chevrolet next year."
It's uncertain what the other two teams using Pontiacs in Cup are doing. Attempts to reach Gene Haas' Pontiac team -- which actually runs Chevrolets for a partial Busch Series program -- were unsuccessful and Morgan-McClure Motorsports owner Larry McClure declined comment through a team spokesperson.
Doug Duchardt, director of GM Racing, said GM's support program, which has always involved varying levels of direct financial assistance; parts and hardware, such as sheet metal; and engineering assistance, including wind tunnel work, would continue in the future.
However, he hinted that the manufacturer would be more intense in its screening process in determining who, and how much, aid would be parceled out.
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| Haas CNC racing is in its inaugural season. |
Frye said he understood his organization's place in the alleged "pecking order" and welcomed the challenge of proving his team deserved a decent "slice of the pie."
"Someone asked earlier today about the pecking order and where we're going to fall," Frye said. "We might be lower on the pecking order right now but your performance can help you and we can control that -- we can rise up the ladder and that's all we can ask."
"I can't really comment until I talk to a number of different people within GM," Wells said. "I certainly think from a technical standpoint, in terms of support and all the things they do for us on the racing side, that will maintain.
"On the promotional side it's anybody's guess and a lot of discussions have to happen before I know much about that."
On the Busch Series side, owner Clarence Brewer's two-car Brewco Motorsports operation was the only team to use Pontiacs full-time in 2003 -- after switching from a combined Chevrolet and Pontiac program a year ago.
Brewer said he was equally caught off guard by the announcement, but that his commitment to GM was such that, even though he said he has been contacted by both Ford and Dodge recently, he would not make a change.
"We had a great relationship with that program," Brewer said. "Now, it looks like we're going to be swapping back to Chevrolet, which is a pretty big burden. (But) Doug Duchardt and Ray Smith are going to determine (what they do next).
"Whatever they tell me to do, I'm going to do. We have an allegiance to GM, and we want to do everything we can to run a Chevrolet -- or a Hummer or whatever they want to run -- next year."
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