On December 4 of last year, Sergio Marchionne, the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which oversees Dodge, expressed a strong desire to reintroduce Dodge to NASCAR. “Yes, I’d love to,” he stated, mentioning he discussed this topic with Jim France, NASCAR’s executive vice president, just the previous night.
Marchionne made these remarks during a press conference at Daytona International Speedway, coinciding with the Ferrari Finali Mondiali, an annual event celebrating Ferrari enthusiasts and racers. The company Marchionne leads owns Ferrari.
Dodge exited NASCAR in 2012 after clinching the title that year with Penske driver Brad Keselowski. Following that season, Penske transitioned to Ford, leading Dodge to discontinue its NASCAR program.
Recently, however, there have been hints of a potential comeback. On Monday morning, in the midst of the North American International Auto Show’s press day, executives from NASCAR and Dodge held a private meeting. Attendees included NASCAR President Mike Helton and Tim Kuniskis, the Head of Passenger Car Brands, which encompasses Dodge.
While this meeting could have been casual in nature, the hectic schedules of automotive executives at the Detroit show make that seem unlikely. Keep an eye out for further developments..
