Dodge struggling with lack of support, loss of teams (cont'd)

Petty said this prior to the final race of the 2008 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Again, with the benefit now of hindsight, his words proved prophetic as he mulled over the pending merger of one Dodge team -- Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates hooking up with the Chevrolet-backed Dale Earnhardt Inc. -- and hinted at what might be in the offing for his own operation.

Kurt Busch is the last Dodge driver to compete in the Chase.

Chase Drivers

By Manufacturer

Year	Chevy	Ford	Dodge	Toyota
2004	4	4	2	--
2005	2	5	3	--
2006	7	2	1	--
2007*	9	2	1	0
2008*	6	3	0	3
Total	28	16	7	3

* Increase from 10 to 12 cars
 

“

We hope there may be an opportunity for some other team to come over to Dodge. That at least gives you the positive feeling that you're moving in the right direction

”

KURT BUSCH

"We're losing one Dodge team for sure [in Ganassi], and I don't know about a couple of the rest of us. I just don't know," Petty said then. "But, hopefully, we can all get together over in a corner somewhere and get our act together. We need to say, 'Hey, instead of all of us Dodge guys working independently, maybe we can get together as a group and make this work.' That would make for Dodge teams that are a lot stronger."

Now it is obvious that there will be even fewer Dodge teams operating in 2009, as Petty's No. 43 Dodge likely will be folded into Gillett-Evernham Motorsports. One NASCAR source said Petty Enterprises had laid off "all but about eight employees, and those are the ones dedicated solely to working on the No. 43."

The No. 45 Dodge driven mostly in 2008 by Kyle Petty, Richard's son, looks as if it will cease to operate. Ganassi began last season by fielding three full-time Cup teams, but the No. 40 piloted by Dario Franchitti didn't make it through half the season and the two remaining teams, the No. 42 driven by Juan Montoya and the No. 41, likely will be run as Chevys in 2009 following the merger with DEI.

None of that seems appetizing to Kurt Busch, who drives the No. 2 Dodge for Penske Racing.

"I've always thought more is better. If you've got more Dodge cars on the track, you've got more opportunities to win," Busch said. "But you want quality within those teams. We hope there may be an opportunity for some other team to come over to Dodge. That at least gives you the positive feeling that you're moving in the right direction."

Busch was one of three Dodge drivers to win races in 2008. Kasey Kahne, who drives the No. 9 car for GEM, was the only multiple winner with two victories (plus one in the non-points but high-paying All-Star race). Busch won once, as did his then-Penske teammate Ryan Newman, who captured the season-opening Daytona 500 in his No. 12 Dodge.

But Newman since has departed to drive a Chevy for the newly formed Stewart-Haas operation, leaving Busch to wonder where all the Dodge boys really stand heading into next season.

"I don't feel like we've fallen behind. I think it gets back to the quantity. You just don't have as many opportunities to win every week," Busch insisted. "You can always look back at the manufacturers and see that things go in cycles. And the other thing is that teams go in cycles, as well.

"Right now, Hendrick Motorsports is hot. Roush Fenway Racing is on fire. But next year or the year after, it could be us. Things happen in cycles. You have to take the good with the bad and draw a straight line through it."

Bobby Labonte is parting ways with Petty Enterprises after driving the No. 43 Dodge for three seasons, and likely will end up in a Chevrolet next season. But he said that the success of individual race teams has more to do with exactly that -- the individual race teams -- than whatever manufacturer it is aligned with. Yet, he was quick to add that manufacturer support helps.

"You look at Joe Gibbs Racing. They went from Pontiac to Chevrolet to Toyota -- and they've been successful running all of them," Labonte said. "So a lot of it is the teams and how they're gelling, and how they're growing with the sport. Hendrick and Roush obviously were the heavyweights in the Chase [in 2008]. The manufacturers help out tremendously, and you want that support. You want them to work with you to help you get better."