Kasey Kahne helped Jim Smith's Dodge win three of the final four races. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Dodge wins title they feel was lost in 2003

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Dodge earned the last chip it needed to take over from Chevrolet as the dominant manufacturer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Ford 200 Videos Victory Lane Kasey Kahne is two for two in Truck Series competition 2004 champ Bobby Hamilton captures the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series title Runner up Dennis Setzer finishes second in the season standings Treacherous turn Several drivers find trouble in Turn Four at Homestead

Bobby Hamilton's first NASCAR series title, earned via his 16th place finish in the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, marked the first time DaimlerChrysler had won both the Truck Series' manufacturers' and drivers' titles in the same year.

"It's really big, especially after the last four years of pretty much dominating in trucks," said John Fernandez, director of Dodge Motorsports operations.

"And then, last year here at Homestead when we went in one and two with Brendan (Gaughan) and Ted (Musgrave) and kind of gave that one away.

"That was through no fault of the drivers -- just a bad day and a lot of bad luck. But Bobby just drove great -- drove smart all year long and did a great job today."

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Hamilton's team has competed in the Truck Series since 1997, but the owner has driven full time only since last season. In that time he's won six races, and Friday was the icing.

"The only tough thing was that the 1 and 2 trucks couldn't share in that championship," Fernandez said of Ultra Motorsports owner Jim Smith, whose No. 2 truck won Friday with driver Kasey Kahne. "Jimmy's been around for a long time (charter owner in the series), but other than that, we're just ecstatic."

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In fact, the last time Dodge won a drivers' title in a NASCAR national series was in 1974-75 with Richard Petty in the Winston Cup Series.

This season, with four manufacturers competing, Dodge won 11 of 25 races. Five drivers from two multi-truck organizations shared the wins.

The manufacturers' title was Dodge's second straight and third in the last four years. In that time, Dodges have won 50 of 96 races, or 52 percent.

Bobby Hamilton Credit: CIA Stock Photo

"We're real proud of it," Fernandez said. "It got tougher this year, with Toyota coming in. They won (four) races and they had a great first season. They're going to get better, and General Motors stepped up their program and they're going to get better."

Hamilton said the twin championships were the result of teamwork.

"(Dr.) Dieter Zetsche is over in Germany running this thing and Dodge has wanted a (drivers') championship for a long time," Hamilton said. "Dodge has been in this thing as long as Chevrolet or Ford."

The Truck Series began in 1995 and Dodge did not score its first victory until 1997, when Chevrolet outscored it 16-2.

"As a manufacturer, you've got to wonder if you have your eggs in the right basket," Hamilton said. "Or have you surrounded yourself with the right people or whatever it is you're trying to build.

"This is really the first year that all the Dodge teams have really worked together and shared information like you're really supposed to do."

Kasey Kahne Credit: CIA Stock Photo

"You've got to have a good organization and fundamentally the organizations that we have, with the engineering support that we give the guys, and the togetherness that all the teams have, is the first thing," Fernandez said. "And then, they create great trucks that guys are capable of winning with, and we've got great drivers."

The strength of the program was such that Kahne was able to step into a truck for the first time and win, last weekend at Darlington before he scored again Friday.

"It's been great," Kahne said. "When you can send a seat over to a shop, with nothing but the measurements of where you want it, then I sat in it for the first time at Darlington and I was as comfortable as can be driving it.

"It's definitely pretty awesome. (Ultra Motorsports) is a great team and it feels good to drive for a team that really knows what to do.

"Overall (the Dodge) is a great truck and Ultra Motorsports is a great team that's been around for a long time and has won a lot of races.

Jim Smith

"Jim Smith (team owner) has a lot of great people working for him and it's a class act team."

Chevrolet won the series' first four manufacturers' titles in dominant fashion, but went through a stretch, from 1999-2002, where it won only once against two for Ford and one by Dodge.

Now, with Toyota entering the series in 2004 and scoring the manufacturer's first four victories, Dodge realizes it has to raise the bar.

"We'll absolutely have the same commitment in 2005," Fernandez said. "This year was a little bit of a struggle starting out because losing Brendan was a big loss to us, when he moved up to Cup and took most of his team.

"Last year, Brendan won six races but (this year) Bobby and (Bobby Hamilton Racing teammate) Chad (Chaffin) picked up the slack. Ted came on strong and of course, putting Kasey in the truck at the end, he was phenomenal.

"We won 11 races versus 13 last year and we keep knocking down those kinds of wins, and top-fives and top-10s and top-20s and those kinds of things -- that consistency -- and I think we can be right back there next year."