The return of the rumor – Penske to Dodge – pretty much denied…again: Dodge sources are describing the Roger Penske-to-Dodge move as “a done deal,” with the superstar car owner making a long-speculated switch from Ford and putting Rusty Wallace and Newman in Intrepids next season. The Penske camp isn’t saying much, there has been no confirmation out of any of the parties, and some Penske South officials have, in fact, said they expect to field Fords again next year. But they concede they still haven’t signed a new contract. “If we were switching to Dodge,” crew chief Bill Wilburn said with a laugh, “why would we be building a third Daytona-Talladega car? For the sun not to be out, you seem to be running quite a fever.” According to Detroit sources, Pontiac wooed Penske, but balked at the $20 million check he wanted them to write, saying that $11 million was the best they could do. So Pontiac is faced with having maybe only two or three teams lined up to run their cars next season, four or five depending on what Cal Wells does. Ironically, the newly remodeled Pontiac may well be the best model on the track in 2003. But that may not be enough to entice teams to change over, and some drivers in the mix are saying that the bosses in that GM division need to get up off their billfolds.(Winston Salem Journal)(See my #2 Team page for old past rumors, many denied about the ‘switch’)(7-30-2002)
