Dodge’s Rise, Fall And Failed Revival In NASCAR

“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.”

That phrase could reasonably be the battle cry for NASCAR from its inception through the early ’90s, arguably. To little extent, it still holds true today. Still, NASCAR is searching for a fourth manufacturer to join its current lineup of Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota, as well as an opportunity to showcase a brand for consumers.

For several years, we have heard rumors that a new manufacturer could become a reality in the near future. Of course, this ramps up the speculation that fans have pondered for nearly a decade: the return of Dodge.

For the past few years, the intensity of that speculation has only grown, especially with the Next Gen car and the future of the sport.

Reports and whistleblowers have hinted at a near return for the Stellantis-owned company. Unfortunately, those hopes took a sizable right hook this past week when Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern tweeted that talks between Dodge and NASCAR have stalled.

.@Dodge’s talks with @NASCAR about re-entering the series as the fourth OEM have stalled, per sources.

🔲 Dodge says that it is focused on the NHRA and “not expanding our efforts into other forms of racing at this time.”https://t.co/UWhfAm0ZfZ

— Adam Stern (@A_S12) October 10, 2022

It is another gut punch in a downward cycle of hope that the brand would return to the sport. So the question arises, how did we get here?

The Rise

Dodge first entered the NASCAR scene back in 1953.

Dodge recorded its first win when Lee Petty drove his No. 42 Dodge Coronet to victory at Palm Beach Speedway on Feb 1, 1953. A year later, it was a part of Petty’s 1954 title run to land Dodge its first title.

In 1964, Dodge showed up with a dangerously good 426 Hemi engine. Likewise, the fellow Chrysler-owned Plymouth Belvedere featured the same engine. Together, the manufacturers won 26 of 61 races. That is really, really good … too good. NASCAR would ban the 426 Hemi engine following the season.

The Charger first entered the scene in 1966.

One of the exciting aspects of NASCAR back then was the manufacturer war of seeing which company could bring the fastest car each week, even if that meant switching models. Despite some issues, the Charger was an instant hit. David Pearson famously drove a Cotton Owen’s-owned No. 6 to the title that year, winning 15 races.

Dodge arguably hit the high point of their first tenure in NASCAR in the ’70s. The brand showed up with the new Dodge Charger…