Dodge is set to unveil its 2013 Dodge Charger for use in the Sprint Cup Series on March 11th. The problem is that with Penske’s decision, no big teams will field Dodges next season. Robby Gordon Motorsports is the only team that fields Dodges besides Penske.

Murstein said:

We received calls from several manufacturers today asking if they could meet with us. It seems that while sponsorship is down, car manufacturer support is strong. That is probably due to the fact that the car companies are all doing significantly better these days than a few years ago. Thus Petty has been approached by several manufacturers recently.

Back in 2001, Petty Enterprises fielded Dodges for John Andretti. They switched from Pontiacs when Dodge returned to Sprint Cup competition. The team fielded Dodges until the end of 2008, when the team merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports and became RPM. Less than a year later, RPM merged with Yates Racing and began fielding Fords. Their contract with Ford is up at season’s end.

Murstein also dropped one more interesting tidbit:

What’s interesting is that  while there are the usual suspects there is one new manufacturer that is trying to break into the sport.

Honda has been rumored to be considering breaking into NASCAR, though there is nothing to indicate any truth to that rumor.

But, in July of 2009, DeWalt announced it was leaving RFR and Matt Kenseth. A few days later, Jamie McMurray was given permission to talk to other teams about a ride for 2010, but RFR was still looking to keep him. The thought was that Crown Royal would move from McMurray’s car to Kenseth’s car, but if sponsorship could be found for McMurray, he would move to Yates.

About a month later, Irwin Industrial Tools announced it was leaving the team and McMurray, which only increased the likelihood that he would not stay with the team.  Shortly thereafter, Yates merged with Richard Petty Motorsports, which brought that team to the four-car limit, eliminating any space for an RFR driver.

Without sponsorship for the car, and no place for one of the teams to move, it became inevitable that one team would be cut. Based on performance, McMurray and David Ragan were the logical choices. Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, and Matt Kenseth were all considered “safe” because they were consistently top performers.

Ragan and McMurray, however, both struggled. McMurray did have two wins to his credit, but he also had 43 finishes of 30^th or worse in four years (144 races) with RFR. Ragan, meanwhile, had 28 finishes of 30^th or worse in three years (110 races) with RFR, which would translate to 37 finishes of 30^th or worse in 144 races, assuming Ragan kept up his pace.

Statistically, McMurray would have been the wiser choice to keep. He had better percentages of wins, top 5s, and top 10s. He won about one percent of the races he ran. He finished in the top 5 in 7.6% of races ran, and in the top 10 in 22.2% of races ran. Ragan, however, never won, and finished in the top 5 7.2% of the time and in the top 10 17.2% of the time.  

But, Ragan had solid sponsorship from UPS and there was no indication that they were unhappy with Ragan. He was also under contract with RFR, while McMurray’s contract was expiring. So, he became the odd man out. He left the team and joined Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 team. McMurray and owner Chip Ganassi worked together from 2002-2005, and McMurray won his first race (in his second start) in a Ganassi car. For Ganassi, I’m sure the signing was a no-brainer.

Looking at McMurray’s recent success, it’s easy to say that Jack Roush made a mistake letting him go. With wins in two of the biggest races of the year, the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, McMurray has not only solidified himself in the history books, but he’s shown the entire Sprint Cup garage that he’s a legitimate competitor week in and week out.

This season, McMurray has posted two wins, six top 5s, and seven top 10s. He was also very close to winning at Talladega, Darlington, and Charlotte, finishing second in each of those races.

In four years with RFR, he posted two wins, 11 top 5s, and 32 top 10s. In 20 races with EGR he has matched his win total at RFR, and is more than half way on his way to matching his total number of top 5s. Let that sink in.

If we were to assume that McMurray keeps up this pace over the next four years – which is highly unlikely, I know – that would mean he would post 14 wins, 43 tops 5s, and 50 top 10s in 144 races. RFR would certainly be happy with those numbers. So, it’s easy to assume Roush must be kicking himself for letting McMurray go.

But, I don’t think he is (or at least he shouldn’t be.)

McMurray had an expiring contract and no sponsor. Who’s to say McMurray would have re-signed with Roush without knowing if a seat was available? That scenario was more unlikely when EGR’s No. 1 became available, since I think McMurray wanted the chance to work with Ganassi again.

Statistically, and from a fan perspective, McMurray is a better driver than Ragan, but that doesn’t mean that sponsors agree. Ultimately UPS would have had to sign off on replacing Ragan with McMurray, and I’m not certain that they were prepared to do that.

Also, McMurray’s success with EGR and Kevin “Bono” Manion this season is the result of team chemistry – everything clicking. It’s highly unlikely that McMurray would have the same success with a different crew chief at RFR, which is current struggling as an organization.

We also can’t forget that Roush didn’t want to let McMurray go. He was looking for ways to keep him, but he couldn’t find a way.

In retrospect, letting McMurray go was a mistake. But, it isn’t one that Jack Roush should be kicking himself over.

It had been speculated for some time that RPM would switch makes, due in part to the financial difficulties of its current make, Dodge.

The newly formed team will run under the current RPM banner with Paul Menard joining RPM, and teammates Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler, and AJ Allmendinger. No word on what will become of Reed Sorenson, current driver of RPM’s No. 43 Dodge. Earlier this season, he was rumored to be out at RPM.

For the remainer of this season, Yates Racing will continue to field a Ford for Hall of Fame Racing’s No. 96, driven by Bobby Labonte and Erik Darnell.

Richard Petty said:

Right now this deal is real new. There are lots of details still left to be ironed out so we don’t have a lot of answers for anyone right now. We’ll be working on all that in the coming days, weeks and months, but we do intend to have everything in place before the start of next season.

Max Jones, of Yates Racing, said:

On a personal level, I am excited about the opportunity to focus my full energy on building Ford horsepower. We look forward to working with Richard Petty Motorsports to produce power second to none. There are many details to be worked out with Richard Petty Motorsports and as we finalize those details we will keep everyone informed. 

This news appears to all but solidify Jamie McMurray’s departure from Roush Fenway Racing, as many thought he might be headed to Yates Racing, which has an alliance with RFR. At last check, RFR was seeking sponsorship to keep McMurray with Yates. But, this new merger would put Yates at NASCAR’s four-team limit.

McMurray could end up piloting Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 Chevy next season, as that’s one of the few rides available. He’s been connect to this ride, but nothing official has been said.

Also, Salder has been rumored to be headed over to Richard Childress Racing or JTG Racing next season, which could mean that Sorenson sticks with the team and Menard takes Salder’s spot.