Dodge Leaving NASCAR After 2012 Season

Calling it an “extremely difficult decision” and citing its inability to align itself with a team that had the necessary pieces in place to make a deal work, Dodge on Tuesday announced it is withdrawing from NASCAR at the end of the 2012 season.

“We couldn’t, unfortunately, put together a puzzle or a structure that made sense to continue our business and competitive objections for next year,” said Ralph Gilles, president of Dodge’s motorsports division.

It appears NASCAR is losing one of its four auto manufacturers at the conclusion of this season.

Dodge will announce today it is pulling out of NASCAR at the end of this season, according to multiple reports. The story was first reported by ESPN.com’s Marty Smith.

Done deal.

Based on wind tunnel data from a July 18 test, all four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series manufacturers have met their aerodynamic targets and are ready to race, the sanctioning body announced Monday.

There it sat, blue with white trim, the Camaro that will carry Chevrolet’s standard in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series next year.

That’s right, a Camaro. After initial resistance to the idea of putting its iconic sports car head-to-head against Ford’s Mustang, Dodge’s Challenger and Toyota’s Camry, Chevrolet has introduced an eye-catching car that captures the essence of its street version.

Toyota unveiled the new Camry it will use in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for 2013 and beyond on Tuesday, showing reporters a redesigned race car that closely resembles the street version of the popular sedan.

All four of NASCAR’s auto manufacturers – Toyota, Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet – are bringing new versions of the so-called COT chassis to Sprint Cup Series racing next year.