BROOKLYN, Mich. -- One thing is for certain. Mike Accavitti, the former Dodge Motorsports boss, has the ear of the new president and CEO of the entire Dodge operation.

That's because Accavitti is, in fact, the new head of the entire Dodge franchise as it emerges from bankruptcy and attempts to regain a foothold in the automotive manufacturing industry.

“

We intend to remain involved in the NASCAR sport for the foreseeable future. ... We're in this sport to win.

”

MIKE ACCAVITTI

Accavitti met with media prior to Sunday's Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway, promising that Dodge's commitment to NASCAR remains strong even as rumors swirl that Richard Petty Motorsports, which fields four of the seven current cars running Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series, may switch to Toyota next season. Dodge's current contract with RPM expires at the end of this season.

The other three current Dodge cars are being run by Penske Racing.

Two Dodges were running in the top 12 in points heading into Michigan, after which only three races will remain before the field is set for the Chase. Kurt Busch, who drives the No. 2 Penske Dodge, was fourth heading into Sunday, while Kasey Kahne, who drives the No. 9 Dodge for RPM, was eighth.

"We've got two guys in the Chase, knock on wood. I realize it's a little too early to be smoking victory cigars, but we're in better position than we were last year and we're very proud of the work both the Petty and Penske folks are doing for us," Accavitti said.

"We remain committed to this sport. NASCAR people are performance-loving people, and Dodge people are performance-loving people -- so it's what you would consider a match made in heaven. ... We intend to remain involved in the NASCAR sport for the foreseeable future."

Accavitti admitted that his past as the head of the Dodge Motorsports arm of the company made it a no-brainer to remain strongly committed to NASCAR, even though he admitted it likely will be on a smaller scale in the future than it has been in the past.

"We don't have to sell it to anybody but myself -- and I have to believe this is a wise investment. As I have stated before, we feel we are involved in NASCAR at the appropriate level," Accavitti said.

At the same time, Accavitti professed uncertainty when the subject of Richard Petty Motorsports was broached. He said talks continue with RPM, whose officials, in turn, have admitted they are talking to Dodge and also entertaining overtures from others -- presumably with Toyota at the top of that list.

"We really shouldn't comment about things when negotiations are taking place, for obvious reasons," Accavitti said. "We have a long history with Richard Petty, a long history with the Evernham Motorsports organization [which is now RPM], and [team owner] George Gillett and I talk frequently. We value them as partners; they've continued to be our partners. Kasey Kahne is one of our all-star drivers -- and of course we appreciate everything they're doing for us this year. But beyond this year, it would just be premature for me to answer any questions about that right now."

Superstore

• Shop for all your Dodge gear!

Petty earlier complained that the organization he co-owns with Gillett was not receiving promised payments from Dodge, which Accavitti acknowledged. He also said those payments, while made late, have since "been processed."

He blamed the confusion on the fact that Dodge had to first go through bankruptcy proceedings, which tied up the money.

"Going through bankruptcy is not something we've done before; nor is it anything we ever intend to go through again," Accavitti said. "When you go through something like that for the first time, you're not familiar with all the processes. Invoices got caught up and payments were delayed. We reached out and talked to all of our teams to kind of let them know that. ... But all things are good now, all things are clear."

Accavitti also made it clear that he would like to keep Dodge's level of involvement in NASCAR about the same next year as it is this year. But he made it a point that Dodge will not look to expand its involvement going forward.

"We think that we're in the sport at the right level right now, with the seven teams we have represented," Accavitti said. "We've tried it a couple different ways in the past. We've sponsored upwards of 12 cars at one time. And what we found was that we were spreading our resources a little bit too thin.

"We're not a big organization; we never really have been. We need to start acting like the organization that we are. We're nimble and smaller than the other guys, and we feel that if we focus our resources on fewer teams we can have better results -- and I think that's what you're seeing on the track this season."

And make no mistake: Accavitti isn't making certain Dodge stays in the sport just to ride around on race day. He said he expects to win races and compete for championships.

"I don't want to just spend a lot of money and come out and have a nice Sunday afternoon. We're in this sport to win. That's why we participate in it. That's why our fans follow it. And so winning is very important to us," he said.

"Last year we were very disappointed in the results that we had, but we had some things going on at our current company that were causing distractions. ... I am never going to be happy until I have that championship trophy sitting outside my office, right? But I will tell you this: I am infinitely happier than I was last year at this time."