New Pontiac? UPDATE 4: NASCAR officials have begun studying Pontiac’s plans for a new Winston Cup model for the 2003 season(Winston Salem Journal)(6-3-2001) UPDATE: – Pontiac Gone? Might General Motors consider dropping the Pontiac brand from Winston Cup racing? A new model is expected for the 2003 season, but will GM invest in the redesign of its Grand Prix for NASCAR? Just an ugly rumor that it won’t, said Terry Laise, General Motors competition and aerodynamics manager. “But anything is possible.”(Sporting News)(6-18-2001) UPDATE 2: during the Cup at Kansas, NBC mentioned that Joe Gibbs Racing had tested a new 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix in a wind tunnel and expects to present it to NASCAR for approval in mid 2002. Also have heard rumors that Pontiac would switch from a Grand Prix to their Bonneville model but being told that model is being phased out.(10-2-2001) UPDATE 3 New Pontiac Testing: Currently, Joe Gibbs Racing is working on the new model Pontiac for 2003 based on the Dodge Intrepid.(Sporting News)(10-26-2001) UPDATE 4: Pontiac officials say work is under way on a 2003 Pontiac with a new body style for use in NASCAR’ Winston Cup series beginning next season. We are working on the car and it’ too early to talk about the details of that, said Bob Kraut, brand manager for Pontiac Grand Prix. We will have a car at this time next year to run Daytona if everything goes OK with NASCAR officials. The existing body style of the Pontiac Grand Prix is seven years old the oldest body style currently in use in NASCAR. Joe Gibbs Racing, which fields the Pontiacs of Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, is involved in the testing and development of the new car.(ThatsRacin.com)(2-16-2002)
