Dodge sticks with the Charger for NASCAR in 2013

Dodge announced Monday that it would continue racing the Charger in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition in 2013, when all four manufacturers will debut new body styles that are closer to the production vehicles they are named after. The new Charger will be shown at the Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's Kobalt Tools 400 on March 11. The car will be displayed immediately after the drivers' meeting. Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of Dodge's Street and Racing Technology division, said no other car was considered but the Charger, because it "fit like a glove." Ford has already debuted the 2013 Fusion as its race car, while Chevrolet and Toyota have yet to announce their plans. Gilles said they have been working on the new car for more than two years, in close association with NASCAR, which demanded "complete parity" of the four brands' designs, while still allowing the race car some brand identity. "You'll be shocked when you see it," Gilles said. "It looks like the street car with fat rubber on it. There is a lot of correlation between the race car and the street car." The new body styles will debut on track in a year, at the 2013 Daytona 500. AutoWeek