Dodge’s commitment to NASCAR again in question

Dodge racing boss Mike Accavitti was a surprising no-show at yesterday’s race; instead he was in California preparing for a Chrysler minivan launch, as part of his duties as director of Dodge-brand marketing. But Accavitti’s boss, Darryl Jackson, was here, for his first NASCAR race, and he said not to read anything into Accavitti’s absence.

“The minivan launch is probably the biggest thing we have going, and it’s an important part of our business," Jackson said.

Still, last summer Dodge had a big shakeup in its racing operation, with Accavitti moving into the role that John Fernandez had held since 2002.

Dodge’s lone win this season was by Juan Pablo Montoya at Sonoma, Calif., and most Dodge teams, particularly Ray Evernham’s, have struggled. In fact, Dodge has no team in the top-12, which is the cutoff mark for the championship chase.

However Jackson says the pending sale of Chrysler to the private equity firm Ceberus won’t lead to any cuts in Dodge’s racing program. Ceberus’ reputation as a cost-cutting operation has some in the sport worried.

“They’re serious about selling cars and about building brand awareness. And racing is about selling cars and building brand awareness," Jackson said. “Anything that brings more awareness to the brand, how can you not like it."

Still, Jackson conceded “I have not specifically had talks (with Ceberus) about our (racing) contracts.

“But we have a long-term commitments and contracts and we will honor them.

“Having Dodge out there, having Dodge back in racing, brings a lot of people in to look at our vehicles."

Meanwhile one of Dodge's top teams may be bolting

Jackson says he’s not paying attention to rumors Evernham might be making overtures to General Motors. “We have a long-term contract with him, and we stand to honor that," Jackson said. “Ray is a good friend of mine. I’ve got a lot of respect for Ray, and nobody knows more about winning than he does. They’ve got some hiccups right now, but I’m sure they’ll smooth those over and be back again."

Evernham and Budweiser are supposed to be discussing sponsorship options for Kasey Kahne, with Evernham’s new partner, George Gillett, owner of the Montreal Canadiens since 2000. Gillett offers interesting marketing synergies for any potential sponsors: He and another business partner, Tom Hicks, just bought England’s famed Liverpool soccer team for $451 million, and Hicks bought baseball’s Texas Rangers in 1999 for $250 million. Winston Salem Journal

[Editor's Note: Look for a Dodge on pole a lot in the near future. They came out of no-where to start 1-2 for the Allstate 400.]