Pontiac Manufacturer NASCAR news and rumors
Some Pontiac/GM Sites:
Pontiac Racing
Pontiac
Past NASCAR news, rumors about Pontiac
(note: some links will not work as sites have deleted stuff or moved them)
- Million Bucks a race to be the pace car? General Motor's decision to pull the plug on Pontiac support in NASCAR caught everyone by surprise and it is apparently related to pressure from NASCAR demanding more money from the Detroit car maker - at least $1 million a race, according to reports - to be the official pace car of the Winston/Nextel Cup circuit. Pontiac officials, according to sources, said no.(Winston Salem Journal)(11-1-2003)
- GM Strengthens Chevrolet NASCAR Program in 2004; No Pontiac Support UPDATES: Following the end of the 2003 NASCAR season, GM will consolidate its resources in NASCAR to exclusively support the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and further advance and solidify the dominant position enjoyed by Chevrolet in this series. "GM Racing will focus its 2004 NASCAR program on the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and will no longer race or support the Pontiac Grand Prix race car," said Doug Duchardt, director of GM Racing. "This transition will enable GM Racing to strengthen its Chevy Nextel Cup program and, at the same time, work with Pontiac on its future racing plans."
"Given Pontiac's long association with NASCAR and our many great accomplishments over the years, the decision to withdraw from NASCAR was not an easy one," said Lynn Myers, general manager of Pontiac-GMC. "Consistent with GM efforts to focus its racing programs, Chevrolet will carry the NASCAR banner while Pontiac can now devote resources to developing future racing and marketing programs consistent with our new performance products, including the GTO, Grand Prix Comp G, G6 and the GXP performance series. We are proud of our racing accomplishments and we recognize that it is a powerful engineering, people development and marketing tool. Pontiac is investigating new opportunities to highlight the performance of our vehicles on the track." Coming into the 2003 season, the Pontiac Grand Prix won two of the past three NASCAR Winston Cup drivers' championships: Bobby Labonte in 2000, and Tony Stewart in '02. Chevrolet has an ongoing record of dominance in NASCAR's modern era. Chevrolet has won 23 of the last 31 NASCAR Winston Cup manufacturers' championships including the 2003 title with 10 different drivers capturing 17 wins in 33 races so far this year. Through 2003 in the NASCAR Busch Series and Craftsman Truck series, Chevrolet has won 10 of 13, and five of nine NASCAR manufacturers' titles respectively. With 2003 drivers' titles still to be determined in both series, Chevrolet has won 11 of 21 in Busch and seven of eight in Craftsman Truck.(GM PR)
NO word on what the Pontiac Teams of #0 Haas CNC Racing, #01-MB2 Motorsports, #4-Morgan McClure, #10-MBV Motorsports, #32-PPI Motorsports. Would expect the #0, #01 and #10 to field Chevy's as Hendrick Motorsports, who fields Chevy's, provide those teams with technical support, the #4 team used to run Chevy's, the #32 was with Ford before switching over to Pontiac and having the only 2003 Pontiac win.(10-28-2003)
LOOKS LIKE CHEVY's: been told the #01, #0 and #10 will run Chevy's; the PPI Motorsports site has a statement by #32 owners Call Wells: "We're disappointed, as PPI Motorsports is very proud to be a part of the Pontiac family. It was a tremendous honor to take the Pontiac Grand Prix to Victory Lane at Darlington Raceway in March. We're continuing our preparations for 2004 and beyond, and we're looking forward to the opportunities available to us with Chevrolet." No word from the #4 team what their plans are.(10-28-2003)
UPDATE: What those teams will drive next season is unclear except for PPI Motorsports, which had a contract through 2006 and will switch to Chevrolet. #4-Car owner Larry McClure declined comment. An official for #0-Haas CNC Racing says the team plans to run Chevrolets next season. The team runs Chevrolets in the Busch series. An official from MB2/MBV Motorsports was unavailable.(Roanoke Times)
HOWEVER on FSN's Totally NASCAR, #01 crew chief was interviewed and said they would likely switch to Chevrolet.(10-29-2003)
- Pontiac facts:
· The first Pontiac to drive in Winston Cup competition was in 1950 when Will Albright finished 19th at Daytona's beach/road course.
· Pontiacs have scored 154 victories in Winston Cup, fifth all-time.
· Pontiac's first Cup win was in 1957, with Cotton Owens on Daytona's beach/road course.
· In 1961 and 1962, Pontiac scored 30 and 22 wins, respectively, headed by Daytona Beach's Fireball Roberts winning the '62 Daytona 500.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(10-29-2003)
- Dry Spell at Daytona for Pontiac: There have been 38 Cup races since the last Pontiac victory at Daytona when Richard Petty drove the #43 STP Pontiac to a win, with President Ronald Reagan in attendance, on July 4, 1984. It was Petty's 200th and last NASCAR Winston Cup victory.(NASCAR PR)(7-2-2003)
- GM Boss to Retire: General Motors announced Wednesday that Herb Fishel, executive director of GM Racing, will go on special assignment to GM Service and Parts Operations on June 1 and retire Sept. 1. Doug Duchardt, group manager for GM Racing's oval track group, will assume Fishel’s responsibilities at GM Racing effective June 1. Pat Suhy Jr., an engineer at GM Powertrain, will replace Duchardt. Duchardt, 39, has been responsible since 1999 for all program management and technical development for engines, chassis and aerodynamics for the Chevrolet and Pontiac entries in NASCAR’s Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(5-15-2003)
- GM-Pontiac Rep will Leave Current Post: Al Larsen, General Motors-Pontiac representative, will take a new job starting in two weeks, with Michael Andretti's IRL Indy Car team. Larsen will work his last NASCAR race this weekend at Richmond. A replacement for Larsen isn't known at this time.(Insider Racing News)(4-28-2003)
- Worried about Toyota? GM and Ford teams are both worried that when Toyota comes into Winston Cup racing, it will raise the financial stakes considerably, and that GM and Ford executives in turn will have to cut back on the support they give their own teams if they have to start matching Toyota's expected surge of TV ads.(Winston Salem Journal)(2-17-2003)
- Manufacturer Rules for the Daytona 500 in 2003: All Chevrolets, Pontiacs, Dodges and Fords will have the same 1.5-inch nose "kickout," or the extension of the front air dam below the bumper. All four makes, which have to mount their bodies on the same reference point, will also use the identical rear spoiler package -- 6.25 inches high by 57 inches wide at a 55-degree angle. Also downsized fuel cells, about 13.5 gallons (down from the standard 22-gallon cell used everywhere else) will be used at Daytona.(NASCAR.com), assume they will go back to the 22 gallon tanks for the non-restrictor plate tracks, it is not clear.(1-7-2003)
- 2003 GM cars test at Talladega: The 2003 version of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Pontiac Grand Prix hit the track running fast on Wednesday for the first of a two-day General Motors test session at Talladega Superspeedway. “I think it’s better. I really do,” said Dale Earnhardt Jr., the driver of the #8 Chevy Budweiser team and the winner of the past three races at the track. “It’s a little too early to really tell, but it’s fast.” Dale Jr. and the #8 Budweiser Dale Earnhardt Inc. team were among 11 General Motors teams testing at Talladega. Junior was joined by fellow DEI drivers Michael Waltrip with the #15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy team and Steve Park with the #1 Pennzoil Chevy team. “We were just working on qualifying runs this morning,” said Dale Jr., while taking a break playing solitaire and eating a few crackers and cheese. Asked what the major changes were, he looked over the car front to back and replied,
“All of it; it’s all new.” Dale Jr. isn’t kidding. When fans see the new Monte Carlo, they will easily recognize its sloping hood, short rear deck and rear quarter glass panels. The car also appears to be sleeker in overall shape. The nose of the car is also new, with a continuing slope from the hood of the car. Eleven General Motors Teams Put 2003 Models Through a Workout at Talladega Superspeedway. Joining the three DEI teams on Wednesday were fellow GM drivers Jeff Green with the #30 America Online Richard Childress Racing team, Ron Hornaday with the #31 Cingular Wireless RCR team, Mike Skinner with the #4 Kodak Film Morgan-McClure Motorspo rts crew, Jack Sprague with the #60 Haas Automation Hendrick Motorsports team, David Green with the #5 Kellogg’s Hendrick Motorsports crew, Andy Hillenburg with the #10 MBV Valvoine Racing team, Ricky Craven with the #32 Tide PPI Motorsports crew and Bobby Labonte with the #18 Interstate Batteries Joe Gibbs Racing team. The two-day GM test ends Thursday. NASCAR approved the 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix in late July and the 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo about a month later. Since that time the teams have been working on the 2003 cars. DEI, RCR, Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports were credited with pooling their talents to aid in the design of the new Monte Carlo. Joe Gibbs Racing will make the switch from Pontiac to Chevrolet in 2003 and PPI Motorsports switches from Ford to Pontiac.(Talladega Superspeedway)(10-31-2002)
- 2003 GM Test Scheduled The GM teams will test their new cars at Homestead-Miami Speedway the day after the season finale at Homestead, Fla. No 2002 models will be allowed during the open test session. It is expected the GM teams will thoroughly test the front downforce in the new noses.(Ford Racing)(10-27-2002)
- 2003 Pontiac Unveiled at Indy: Pontiac officials unveiled the 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix race car on Thursday to members of the media. The car will debut in the 2003 Daytona 500. "The excitement level surrounding NASCAR and Winston Cup racing just keeps getting higher and higher," said Pontiac-GMC General Manager Lynn Myers, "and Pontiac intends to be right in the middle of it. This new race car is additional proof that we are committed to supplying the necessary resources for our Pontiac teams to compete for the championship." The new design is the culmination of many months of work and cooperation between Pontiac racing engineers, NASCAR and members of the teams that will be racing the new cars, including Winston Cup driver Johnny Benson's MBV Motorsports team, whose [#10 Valvoline] car was on display Thursday. "We've been working on this race car for over a year now and it's a great feeling to be able to show it to the rest of the world today," said James Ince, Benson's crew chief. "For us, the new Grand Prix is something to look forward to. We know that we are going to have to work extremely hard to get the new car ready, but it's also going to be something that gives us the opportunity to go and win races, and that's the business we're in." The new Pontiac is somewhat shaped like its Ford and Dodge competitors but features a much more pronounced nose section and many of the trademark Pontiac features found on the current Grand Prix model.(ThatsRacin.com)(8-2-2002)
from MBV Motorsports
- Manufacturer News: Oct. 1, was an important day in the stock car world. The date was big because it was the final day for 2003 hardware submissions from the manufacturers to NASCAR. All three companies did submit “hard parts” to NASCAR for its consideration. The length of time between submittal and approval, or rejection, can run the gamut from mere moments for the far-fetched requests to several weeks for a part that catches NASCAR’s attention. Ford, in their submittal, offered NASCAR a new nose, tail and manifold. The nose is rumored to be part of the “common” template NASCAR is eyeing for 2003. The tail or rear bumper cap, which covers the fuel cell area, on the current fleet of Taurus cars was not symmetrical when it was submitted several years ago and has been the topic of discussion at about every superspeedway event since. The new piece addresses these concerns. The final Ford piece submitted was an intake manifold. Dodge’s wish list was rather short and limited to a new nose. Again, this nosepiece was submitted to comply with the 2003 common template design. The Dodge nose has a small detail ridge on the front bumper cap, allowing the Dodge teams an additional half-inch of kickout. That half-inch ridge reportedly was removed from the newly submitted piece. GM went for the full Monte, as it were, with their block, head and manifold submission. The GM men didn’t say what issues the new block addressed, but teamfordracing.com knows they’d love to get the fuel pump swung around from the right to the left side, which would help with vulnerability issues during a crash. This certainly doesn’t address the heads and manifold, but the reason for those requests will likely become clearer during the Talladega, Ala. weekend. Keep in mind that the GM factory effort will bring common template cars to the track for 2003 with both the Monte and Grand Prix getting sheetmetal worked over during the spring and summer of this year. All the teams, regardless of make, will be busy during this year’s off-season bringing the cars into compliance for the 2003 common template. That’s right, even though the Ford and Dodge cars will go principally unchanged both marks will need total re-skinning to address rear window and cowl concerns of NASCAR. Ford also submitted a new nose for the F-150 in the Craftsman Truck Series. It is not known what the other brands offered to NASCAR for that series.(Ford Racing)(10-4-2002)
- Templates: For the 2003 season, each of the manufacturers has been given 32 templates, 18 which are identical for all cars. There's a bigger agenda with incorporating similar templates and a standard body location -- which will be officially announced sometime over the next few weeks as measuring 60 inches from the top of the windshield to the middle of the rear tires -- and that is to even up the playing field.(more at the Sporting News)(9-14-2002)
- Template Meeting UPDATE: Crew chiefs, car chiefs and head fabricators were expected to meet at the NASCAR Technical Center in Conover, N.C., to discuss the templates the teams will use in 2003. Because there was confusion between NASCAR inspectors and teams at the Daytona 500 this season, series director John Darby doesn't want any misunderstandings when the teams return to Daytona for the season opener in 2003. NASCAR also will use the time for teams to sound off about the cars' body placement on the chassis for next year.(Sporting News)(9-2-2002)
UPDATE: According to well-placed NASCAR sources a Wednesday meeting could bring the Winston Cup teams an early Christmas present. All crew chiefs are expected in NASCAR’s Hickory, N.C. Research and Development Center to discuss inspection policies for the 2003 season. The NASCAR source said that Winston Cup director John Darby would like the teams to have a very good idea of what to expect in the inspection bays when they arrive at Daytona International Speedway in 2003; and lower the anxiety levels that comes with preparation. Several teams worked on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2001 to get ready for 2002 Daytona testing. Advance notice of templates and inspection process could allow building of most of the fleet built prior to Christmas. The meeting is anticipated to focus closely on the car templates, featuring the new “greenhouse” template that will go into use in 2003. The greenhouse template, which will fit onto the car from the base of the “A” pillar and run over the roof to the bottom of the “C” pillar, will be the identical for all makes and models competing.(FordRacing)(9-3-2002)
UPDATE 2: the meeting will be held Wednesday.(Fox Sports Net/Totally NASCAR)(9-4-2002)
- Standard Boby Locations the law in 2003: NASCAR has informed the teams it will require them to have standard body locations in 2003, meaning all the cars will be nearly identical in chassis setups. There is now no restriction on how far forward or backward the body on a Cup car can be located. Teams vary that position from track to track to help balance the car. Bodies are moved forward on superspeedways to keep air off the rear spoilers and reduce drag, and moved backward on shorter tracks.(NASCAR.com/AP)(9-2-2002)
- Body Rule Change Coming UPDATE: Winston Cup series director John Darby said Saturday that a new rule is coming to standardize the body location of cars racing in the series, possibly within a week. There is now no restriction on how far forward or backward the body on a Cup car can be located. Teams vary that position from track to track to help balance the car. In general terms, bodies are moved forward on superspeedways to keep air off the rear spoilers and reduce drag, and moved backward on shorter tracks. Darby said NASCAR will require the same measurement for all cars raced on all tracks, with a tolerance of a half- or three-quarters of a inch on either side. The challenge, Darby said, is to set a measurement that will keep teams in the series from having to cut off and rehang sheet metal on most of the cars in their fleets.(ThatsRacin.com)(8-18-2002)
UPDATE: While no bulletin has been issued, yet, NASCAR has all but issued the paperwork to make the body locations standard for the 2003 season. The prospect has been looming during the past several weeks, but issuance of the rule has been slowed, somewhat, by team politicking. In the final analysis NASCAR will call for the car bodies to sit at a 60-inch measurement, plus or minus three-quarters-of-an-inch as measured from the center of the roof at the windshield seem to the center of the rear axle housing. Generally the ruling is being hailed in the garage as a plus, but it does represent a lot of work for several car owners. Robert Yates, just today, learned from his crew chiefs – Michael McSwain and Todd Parrott – that about 40 of the Yates’ 42-car fleet will need to be re-skinned to meet the new NASCAR specification. NASCAR, while tightening down body mounting locations, will also take a bite out of the team’s creativity in outlawing twisted roofs and hoods. Changes here will prohibit the teams from getting too wild with the bows and bends on the roofs of these cars. There was talk that NASCAR would issue the greenhouses, the area above the doorsills, for the cars complete with A, B and C pillars along with a roof stamping, but that apparently has been taken off the table. The critical measurements of the greenhouse, however, will be captured in the new NASCAR 2003 templates and will make all windshield rakes and measurements standard across all brands. Dodge and Ford are supposed to be currently running the same windshield rakes this year, but something with the templates allowed the Dodge to lay their windshield back slightly more than the Ford teams. This reduced angle is helpful to the Dodge cause as it helps reduce drag.(Ford Racing)(8-31-2002)
- Air Dam Rules back for Darlington: NASCAR notified Chevy and Pontiac teams it was re-instituting the front air dam rule it used at Michigan for next weekend’s race at Darlington. Chevys will be allowed to extend their front air dams out by one inch, while Pontiac teams will be allowed a half-inch extension. NASCAR will again evaluate the performance of the teams following next Sunday’s Southern 500 to decide whether to use the rule at the Sept. 7 race at Richmond.(ThatsRacin.com)(8-25-2002)
- 'Big' cars not until 2003? NASCAR is telling Winston Cup teams not to expect the new low-downforce cars until next season, maybe late next season, depending on the financial health of Busch tour car owners. NASCAR is looking at incorporating the larger "greenhouse" roll cage with the low-downforce tweaks, possibly not rolling out the project until the October Talladega race. Because of serious structural issues in roll- cage welding, apparently discovered during last year's fatal ARCA crash at Charlotte, NASCAR officials will require the new roll cage to be completely new construction, and will not allow teams simply to cut off the current roll cage and weld a larger greenhouse in place.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-6-2002)
- 2003 Pontiac approved: NASCAR has given final approval to the 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix and Pontiac teams should be able to build cars with the new design within the next few weeks. The car, which has been under development since August 2001, passed a battery of wind tunnel and track tests this spring and was approved last week. Race fans will get their first look at the new car in action at the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16, 2003. Pontiac officials say the new Grand Prix adopts many of the aerodynamic underpinnings NASCAR has established as a competitive baseline for new race cars but also maintains the visual styling representative of Pontiac's brand character. "The approval of the new Grand Prix is a firm statement that Pontiac is a major competitor in NASCAR," said Lynn Myers, general manager of Pontiac-GMC.(ThatsRacin.com)(7-3-2002)
- 2003 Pontiac close: Pontiac is expected to sign off on its templates from NASCAR this week, the final step in the approval process for the 2003 Grand Prix. #18-Crew chief Jimmy Makar, who was instrumental in the car's development, says Joe Gibbs Racing almost is finished building the first car and expects to have it in the wind tunnel later this month. Though those test results will determine whether Gibbs' teams stay with Pontiac or convert to the new Chevrolet, Makar says the focus is on Gibbs' current program and trying to help Bobby Labonte get back on track.(Sporting News)(6-17-2002)
- Secret rules/template change? NASCAR officials have [supposedly] quietly made a secret rules change to help Pontiacs, and the secrecy is bothersome to several rival teams that insisted that NASCAR should be following a more open policy by announcing any rules changes. That raises the question of what other rules NASCAR might be adding to the rule book from behind closed doors. The new rule is an alteration to the "long" template, which stretches the silhouette of the car from the nose to the tail; the alteration is a new hump in the middle of the hood, which allows Pontiac engine men to run a taller intake manifold. The change, Pontiac team members say, is worth seven to eight horsepower, which some rivals confirmed yesterday.(Winston Salem Journal)
AND Earlier this week NASCAR announced that the Pontiac Grand Prix was the recipient of a concession on the nose and tail. The changes that NASCAR announced included an additional half-inch of kickout to the nose and an extra quarter-inch on the rear spoiler. But there was another change to the Pontiac that was not announced by NASCAR. This undocumented change allows the Pontiac teams to raise the rear point of the hood by three-quarters-of-an-inch. The modification is in place here at Michigan. The change allows the Pontiac teams more flexibility on how they mount their motors in the Grand Prix with the increase in clearance above the motor. Until this change the Pontiac teams were juggling the motor low in the car to accommodate a larger air filter/spacer /intake setup. Or, if they decided that the motor needed to be raised for some chassis or suspension consideration, a low profile air cleaner and intake arrangement needed to be used. NASCAR officials were not available for comment, but the Pontiac teams seemed excited to have the added headroom.(Ford Racing - sorry, their direct links don't work)(6-17-2002)
- Some Pontiac Teams Notes: The big question remains: who will step up to the Pontiac plate and fill the void once [Joe] Gibbs [Racing] leaves? There has been rumors of Johnny Benson and James Ince shopping their package for next year, but Ince says that after investing three years in the #10 program and his contribution to building the new Pontiac, that they would like to stay with Valvoline next year. The M&M's sponsorship is in question on the #36 car as is Conseco with A.J. Foyt's #14 team. General Motors has approached several teams in the garage about moving to Pontiac including Cal Wells, Travis Carter (before Kmart left) and Andy Petree. But insiders say that this week Petree has been on a six-figure shopping spree buying cars and parts from Penske. Despite the Pontiac's struggles up to now, [crew cheif Greg] Zipadelli is optimistic about the 2003 Pontiac and expects the templates by July. But whether he'll be building a new Grand Prix, remains to be seen.(Sporting News)(6-15-2002)
- 'Big Car' tested in wind tunnel: The larger Winston Cup car, with a larger 'greenhouse' (between the windwhield and rear window) was tested at the wind tunnel in Marietta, GA on Monday.(FSN's Totally NASCAR)(6-14-2002)
- Pontiac/Ford gets a rules change: NASCAR announced a ½-inch increase to the front air dam and ¼ inch rear spoiler increase for the Pontiac Grand Prix beginning with this weekend's Sirius Satellite Radio 400 at Michigan. The leading edge of the air dam for the Pontiacs now must not extend more than one (1) inch forward of the bumper. Measurements for the rear spoiler will now read at 7 1/8* inches high by 57 inches wide (prior to this, the rear spoiler measured at 6 7/8 inches high by 57 inches wide). This dimension will not be used at Daytona or Talladega. Officials also reduced the spoiler size on the Ford Taurus from 6 inches to 5-7/8 inches for next month's Pepsi 400 at Daytona. During the Daytona 500 in February, the Ford's rear spoiler was 5 ¾ inches tall and in April at Talladega, Ford's measurements were 6 inches tall. The Chevrolet and Dodge teams rear spoiler will remain at 6 ¼ inches tall, while the Pontiac teams will measure at 6 ½ inches tall by 57 inches wide.(NASCAR PR)(6-12-2002)
- Volkswagen in NASCAR? German automaker Volkswagen is considering following Toyota's lead in joining the NASCAR marketing world, eventually with a Winston Cup effort, according to NASCAR sources. One question now is what model might Volkswagen want to brand and market under the NASCAR logo. NASCAR's common-template car project makes both a Toyota and VW Winston Cup effort easier. But Honda is not expected to show any interest in NASCAR's stock-car series, according to industry sources, because that company is not interested in playing the political games that must be played to placate the sport's rulers. Toyota wants to field a Tundra truck in NASCAR's Truck series next season, and company engineers are discussing various technical options with NASCAR officials.(Winston Salem Journal). A NASCAR Beetle?(a joke of course)(6-3-2002)
- More new Chevy/Pontiac for 2003 news: Richard Childress [owner of the #'s 29,30,31] says he expects NASCAR to approve a significantly modified Chevrolet Monte Carlo body style for 2003. Pontiacs also are due for a change (has submitted a 2003 Grand Prix body to NASCAR for approval, Chevy has not). Childress hopes the new Monte Carlo will narrow a perceived aerodynamic disadvantage to rival Ford and Dodge teams. NASCAR cars' bodies are only loosely based on street cars', and NASCAR officials regularly tinker with the aerodynamic characteristics of different car makes' bodies to keep competition equal. That causes teams to argue over which make has an advantage and lobby for changes. Winston Cup series director John Darby hopes to reduce the bickering next year by making all four car makes almost identical, primarily different in the nose and tail. The current Ford and Dodge bodies already are similar; Chevys and Pontiacs likely will get more rounded-off roof sections in 2003. Darby says making the cars more similar also will make it easier to accomplish NASCAR's broader goal of making its cars less dependent on aerodynamics to stick to the track, a move it hopes will make racing more competitive.(USA Today)(5-29-2002)
- No Common Templates: Common templates are not on the horizon, according to NASCAR President Mike Helton. “I don’t know that you’ll ever reach a point where there’s definitively a set of templates that are uniquely common. I think there is a benefit for Chevrolet, Pontiac, Dodge and Ford to have brand identity in these garage areas,” Helton said March 16. “That’s the backbone of the competition and the business. So the controversy that surrounds that, I don’t think will ever go away. You look at the NASCAR stock car that’s in the Cup and the Busch garages, and they’re uniquely NASCAR race cars. They have bowties and blue ovals and ram shields and Pontiac triangles in them, but they are NASCAR race cars. If you took a set of templates from a Pontiac and went to a showroom, they’re not going to fit that car. They’re going to fit the NASCAR race car that carries the Pontiac brand on them."(Winston Cup Scene - need sub to read)(3-21-2002)
