Chryslers racing program is on a mission to win the NASCAR Winston Cup championship, and for at least the next two years that means there will be no factory effort to extend the Dodge Vipers Le Mans success. John Fernandez, director of the companys Performance Vehicle Operations, said that instead of a marketing-driven effort, the new [Cup] program will be more of a technical effort, yet there will be no more science projects; all engineering development will focus on the goal at hand. That goal, he added, looks far beyond a mere race-by-race view to a new yearlong strategy. He said Chrysler would start a serious driver-development program that focuses on finding and developing new talent behind the wheel. The program, he said, will follow the pattern established by Penske Racing, a recent and significant recruit to the Dodge program.( Autoweek )(2-2-2003)
