Bill Elliott helped usher in Dodge's return to NASCAR by capturing the pole for the 2001 Daytona 500. Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Dodge needs to rebound amid uncertainty in 2007

Manufacturer at critical turning point following seven-win season

Six years have passed since Dodge returned to NASCAR.

	Rain dampened Dodge's first victory since 1977, as Sterling Marlin won the shortened Pepsi 400 at Michigan in August 2001. Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
	Inside the Numbers Manufacturer wins since 2001 Year Chevy Ford Dodge Pontiac 2001 16 11 4 5 2002 10 14 7 5 2003 19 7 9 1 2004 22 10 4 NA 2005 17 16 3 NA 2006 23 6 7 NA Totals 107 64 34 11

Bill Elliott won the pole for the 2001 Daytona 500 in an Intrepid, ushering in a new era for the manufacturer in the sport in which it had been missing since its last Cup race in 1985.

Paced by Elliott's fifth-place finish, three Dodges placed in the top 10 that February afternoon. Sterling Marlin was the first to return Dodge to Victory Lane since 1977 when he won in August at Michigan.

Marlin had two of Dodge's four wins that season and finished third in points. The years that followed were even better. A Dodge won three of the first five races in 2002, two by Marlin in Chip Ganassi's No. 40.

In all, Dodge won seven times that season and edged ahead of Pontiac, powered by Cup champion Tony Stewart, for third place in the manufacturer standings.

It was runner-up to Chevrolet in 2003 on the strength of Roger Penske's move from Ford to Dodge. Ryan Newman had eight of the manufacturer's nine victories that season.

The Chase years haven't been as kind. Dodge won only four times in 2004 and despite having three drivers in the Chase in 2005, had only three victories that season.

Take away one driver, Kasey Kahne, in 2006, and the wheels almost came completely off, despite edging Ford by one point for second place in the manufacturer standings. Kahne, with six of Dodge's seven wins last year, was the manufacturer's only driver in the Chase.

The highest any Dodge driver has finished in the Chase is sixth, by Newman in 2005.

Aside from Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch got Dodge's only other victory in 2006. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Dodge drivers in 2006 (full season) Rank Driver W T5 T10 8. K. Kahne 6 12 19 14. C. Mears 0 2 8 16. K. Busch 1 7 12 18. R. Newman 0 2 7 20. S. Riggs 0 1 8 21. B. Labonte 0 3 8 24. R. Sorenson 0 1 5 32. K. Petty 0 0 2 33. D. Stremme 0 0 0 39. J. Mayfield 0 0 0 • Riggs made 35 of 36 starts, Mayfield 22; Elliott Sadler made 15 Dodge starts with two top-10s Inside the Numbers Dodge wins per driver (since 2001) Year Driver Team Wins 2001 S. Marlin Ganassi 2   W. Burton Davis 1   B. Elliott Evernham 1 2002 W. Burton Davis 2   S. Marlin Ganassi 2   B. Elliott Evernham 2   J. McMurray Ganassi 1 2003 R. Newman Penske 8   B. Elliott Evernham 1 2004 R. Newman Penske 2   R. Wallace Penske 1   J. Mayfield Evernham 1 2005 K. Kahne Evernham 1   J. Mayfield Evernham 1   R. Newman Penske 1 2006 K. Kahne Evernham 6   K. Busch Penske 1 Leilani ReportsLeilani explores the leadership roles at Evernham Motorsports Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Since Dodge switched from the Intrepid to the Charger in 2005, and in turn hoping to rekindle a bygone era, a debate has raged as to which model works best. And the results have varied.

Kahne led the series in wins, and his six poles equaled Penske newcomer Kurt Busch. Kahne, who led all Dodge drivers in top-fives with 12 and top-10s with 19, finished eighth in the final point standings.

Busch, in his first year in Penske's No. 2 after winning 14 races and a Cup title in a Jack Roush Ford the previous four seasons, struggled as did teammate Newman. Busch joined Kahne as the only Dodge driver to win a race and record double-digit top-10s (12).

Busch finished 16th in points, two spots ahead of Newman, who suffered through his worst of five full seasons. Throughout the year, Newman was highly critical of the Charger.

Since the edict that Dodge would only race Chargers beginning with the eighth race in 2006, only 57 times in 29 races did a Dodge finish in the top 10. In two races -- at Indianapolis and Atlanta in October -- a Dodge failed to crack the top 10, both times its best finish 12th.

The Charger did have its bright spots, however. On two occasions it had four cars finish in the top 10 -- at Michigan in June and Martinsville in October. At Pocono in June, five Dodges were among the top 12, including three in the top 10.

But the overall struggles of Dodge can be seen in the owner standings. The final few races came down to which Dodge would be left out of the top 35 in owner points. Dodges occupied three of the final four spots in the top 35, with Kyle Petty edging out the Chevrolet of Marlin for 35th place.

Jeremy Mayfield, who along with Newman represented Dodge in the first two Chases, floundered and was released mid-season and replaced by Elliott Sadler. Ray Evernham's No. 19 finished 34th in owner points, with only two top-10s to its credit, or discredit, as the case may be.

In fact, other than Kahne, the highest-ranking Dodge driver in 2006 will be behind the wheel of a Chevrolet in '07. Casey Mears finished 14th in points, one spot ahead of Brian Vickers, the driver he will replace in Hendrick Motorsports' No. 25.

And now the competition gets tougher. Toyota enters the picture for 2007, with a seemingly endless amount of resources expected to test the financial limits of the current manufacturers.

And then there's the Car of Tomorrow. It remains to be seen how that will play out, not only for Dodge but all the manufacturers.

The 2007 season is shaping up as a pivotal year in NASCAR. Dodge needs to step up.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.