2005 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com

A DRIVER’S RACE
WEEKEND
THURSDAY
3 p.m.: Board a plane for the track.
Jeremy Mayfield will fly in his own;
Kasey Kahne in Ray Evernham’s.
6 p.m.: Get settled in private
motorhome — they come with everything.
Mayfield’s wife, Shana, cooks.
Kahne and his brother Kale aren’t bad
in the kitchen either.
FRIDAY
9 a.m.: Before practices and qualifying,
drivers work out at the Motor
Racing Outreach mobile fitness center.
10:30 a.m: Teams go over details about
the car and track, from weather conditions
to shock absorbers.
Noon: Two-hour practice time.
After 2 p.m.: Drivers may use this
time to qualify for the Busch Series.
At night, there may be sponsor meetand-greets,
or more kicking back.
SATURDAY
10 a.m.: Qualifying for starting position
in the Nextel Cup race.
Noon to 3 p.m.: You’re likely to find
Dodge drivers signing for fans,
unless they’re in the Busch Series.
Rest of the day: More working out
and, for many drivers, functions
with sponsors.
SUNDAY
9:30 a.m.: Up for breakfast functions.
11:30 a.m.: Mandatory meeting for
drivers and crew chiefs. Every detail
about the day’s rules is discussed.
1:30 p.m.: Race time. (Finally!)
5 p.m.: If a Dodge team makes the Top
5, they stick around for inspection.
Otherwise, drivers head to the airport,
by car on special access routes, for the
trip back to North Carolina. They’re
usually home by 8 p.m.
VISIONARY OWNER:
RAY EVERNHAM
AS YOU’D EXPECT from perhaps
NASCAR’s most legendary former
crew chief now turned highprofile
car owner, Ray Evernham
has been more than eager to get inside
the “head” of the
new Dodge Charger
racecars for his
Nextel Cup teams.
The cars, replacing
the Intrepid models,
are among the most
significant changes
in NASCAR this
year. Count Evernham
among those
who are giving a big
“thumbs up” on the
new development.
“Dodge has
done a great job
on this,” says Evernham, president
and CEO of Evernham Motorsports.
“There’s been a high level of interest
in this car. It looks great.”
It’s not all about looks, either.
Evernham appreciates the engineering
power and manufacturing quality
behind the new Charger racecars.
“Having strong support from
Dodge at the factory level is the
most important part of the whole
equation,” he says. “They’re the
ones that bring in the resources.
When you see a winning team, you
see that it’s a team that has the
“THERE’S
BEEN A HIGH
LEVEL OF
INTEREST
IN THIS CAR.
IT LOOKS
GREAT.”
—RAY EVERNHAM
manufacturer behind it every step
of the way, and that’s what we have
with Dodge.”
As a businessman who happens to
sell high-end, customized Dodge Ram
pickups on the side, Evernham appreciates
the attention to detail that
Dodge manufacturing teams invest in
their products. “Dodge has always
been about a quality product with
great engineering,” Evernham says.
“That’s a great tradition that goes all
the way back to the 1970s. That’s why
I’ve been so excited to be a part of
not only associating
with Dodge on
the track, but in the
after-market business.
When people
see a vehicle that
combines the power
of a Hemi with the
style and look of a
Dodge Ram, they
are impressed.”
As for this year,
expectations are
big. Especially after
the highly successful
2004 seasons of
veteran Jeremy Mayfield and rookie
Kasey Kahne. Evernham, as always,
is prepared for more of that success.
After all, that’s what he and his teams
position themselves for, year in and
year out. “We’re in our fifth year
now with the Dodge program, and
we’re building a foundation to get
results,” Evernham says. “We had
more Top 5 finishes than before.
We had more Top 10 finishes than
before. With the kind of teamwork
approach we have going here, we can
just expect more of the same kind
of winning results for this season.”
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