3/4/01
ROLLING IN VEGAS

Dodge roars to third in UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

Marlin's strong finish moved him into the NASCAR Winston Cup championship lead after only the third of 36 races, ahead of race winner Jeff Gordon by 35 points.


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Gordon's victory in the March 4 race sponsored by the UAW and DaimlerChrysler was worth not only the first-place prize money of $369,602 but also earned him a $1 million bonus. It was his 53rd career victory and marked the first-time a Chevy has triumphed at Las Vegas.

Dale Jarrett, who started from the pole, finished second for prize money of $257,977, and Marlin's Dodge Intrepid brought in $183,760.

The two Intrepid R/Ts sponsored by the UAW-DaimlerChrysler National Training Center (NTC) finished out of the money, but the 14th-place showing by Evernham Motorsports driver Bill Elliott, who finished fifth in the Daytona 500 this year, showed the Dodges' power and endurance.

Elliott, who has won 40 Winston Cup races during the past 25 years, led the 400 for several laps. His teammate, Casey Atwood, the 19-year-old NASCAR Busch Grand National division rising star, finished 24th. (Click here for final rankings.)

UAW-DaimlerChrysler's sponsorship of the Vegas race included appearances by UAW President Stephen P. Yokich, who waved the green flag to start the 400, and by DaimlerChrysler Executive Vice President Gary Henson, who rode in the pace car as grand marshal.

Also on hand were workers from five DaimlerChrysler locations in the United States that produced the most sales during recent Friends Program Sales Contest. The employees, chosen by raffle at the winning locations, received complimentary airfare, accommodations and seating for Vegas race, where they acted as official hosts.

After the race, Bob Wildberger, senior manager for operations for Dodge Motorsports, praised the new Dodge racing program. "We won the pole at Daytona and had a Dodge front row," Wildberger said. "Then we ended up winning a Twin 125 (qualifying race) and finishing with top 10s and a top five (in Daytona). Today, not only did we end up with a third, which is our best finish yet, in just our third race, but this is fantastic news to have a Dodge driver leading the points for the first time in probably a quarter of a century."

"We are really excited about our commitment to NASCAR Winston Cup racing in 2001 and the opportunity to sponsor one of the top races of the year," said UAW Vice President Nate Gooden, director of the DaimlerChrysler Department.

"We have our annual meetings here in Las Vegas in the winter and summit training meetings in the fall, so we felt the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was an ideal opportunity to link the UAW-DaimlerChrysler names with both Las Vegas and NASCAR. It's a great match."

DaimlerChrysler announced in the fall of 1999 that it was returning to NASCAR Winston Cup racing beginning with the 2001 season with its Dodge Intrepid. The Dodge brand had a successful run in the early days of NASCAR, amassing 160 victories and two manufacturer's titles with drivers such as Lee and Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and David Pearson.
More recently, DaimlerChrysler has enjoyed motorsports success in many areas. The Dodge Ram has posted several triumphs in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series. The Dodge Viper has become the top American endurance car of all time, having won the last three FIA championships, the last two 24 Hours of LeMans competition in class, and the 1999 American LeMans Series title. Dodge's Neon racing program has been the most prolific grassroots program in Sports Car Club of America history with 31 national championships. Racing partner Mopar took its first World of Outlaws series title in 1999.

"In addition to our title sponsorship of the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, we are extending our at-track presence as well," said John Franciosi, senior vice president of employee relations for DaimlerChrysler. "Our racetrack exhibit, provided by UAW-DaimlerChrysler NTC, will provide race fans with the opportunity to interact with our Winston Cup racing efforts next years. The sponsorship and our racing efforts show how committed UAW-DaimlerChrysler is to achieving excellence on the race track and in the workplace."

At Daytona International Speedway Feb. 18, the Devastating Dodges finished strongly in a tough race marred by a fatal accident. Three of the new Dodge Intrepid R/T race cars like those that ran in Vegas were in the top 10 at the 43^rd Daytona 500.

Bill Davis Racing, Petty Enterprises, Melling Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates operate the other Dodge-based teams.

Drivers Ward Burton and Dave Blaney drive for Davis Racing; Stacy Compton drives for Melling; Kyle Petty, John Andretti and Buckshot Jones drive cars fielded by Petty Enterprises.

All four teams run the sleek racers patterned after production models of the Intrepid. The Evernham cars are emblazoned with the distinctive UAW logo and the words "National Training Center."

In addition to being represented on both Evernham cars, the UAW and National Training Center will have their logos on all uniforms, vehicle transporters and any other equipment associated with the Evernham Motorsports team, beginning with the 2001 season.

The racing venture represents a significant new milestone for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler partnership and the National Training Center, which oversees more than 30 joint union-management programs. The NTC has made a five-year commitment as an associate sponsor of the two-car Evernham team.

When Dodge rejoined the Winston Cup Series at the Daytona 500, it marked the return of one of the fabled brands in racing after a long absence. In its first NASCAR run, from the 1950s through the 1970s, Dodge compiled 160 victories and a pair of manufacturer's titles with superstar drivers like Lee and Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and David Pearson.

In linking up with team owner Ray Evernham, the National Training Center has joined forces with a proven winner on the Winston Cup circuit. Evernham begins his career as a NASCAR team owner after earning a reputation as one of the most successful crew chiefs in Winston Cup Series history.

Cars under Evernham's banner won five races in the 1999 season and finished second at the Daytona 500. Overall, Evernham led his team to 47 victories in the past six seasons and three of the last four NASCAR Winston Cup Series championships.

The flagship of the new Dodge NASCAR Winston Cup program, the Intrepid R/T racer, looks much like the production car, but it includes safety and ultra-high performance features required for the Winston Cup Series.

The racing version of the Intrepid is slightly narrower, somewhat longer and has a significantly lower roofline and shorter wheelbase than its production cousin. Under the hood, the rear-wheel-drive R/T will be powered by a 5.7-liter (358-cubic-inch) Dodge V-8 racing engine with a 12:1 compression ratio that generates more than 700 horsepower and 500 lb.-ft. of torque, all NASCAR specifications.