Gilles: Dodge Has Teams Interested In 2013

Dodge unveiled its new, 2013 NASCAR Dodge Charger Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Now all they need is someone to drive it.

Dodge: Drivers wanted.

Dodge Motorsports President Ralph Gilles told reporters the automaker hopes to remain in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2013 and beyond, but cannot guarantee it. "We would love to stay if we can, but we have to figure it out,” said Gilles Sunday. Asked if the company could potentially withdraw from the sport, Gilles said, "Based on the momentum we've developed, we don't feel it's going that way." Penske Racing had been Dodge’s headline team since 2003, with 48 race wins, 72 poles and the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship with driver Brad Keselowski.

Team owner Roger Penske announced recently that his team will leave the Dodge camp and join Ford Motor Company next season, a decision Gilles said caught him by surprise. “It was unfortunate,” he said. “Some things Roger didn't realize we were doing are coming to pass,” he said. “We're actually investing in NASCAR more than ever.”

Gilles said he has already been contacted by a number of NASCAR teams about joining the fold next season, and hopes to announce new team affiliations by mid-summer. "With the way our phone is ringing, I'm not too concerned,” he said. “It's been a pretty positive thing. We've been knocked down a few times our history and we've come back. With every storm, there's a sunny day later."

He declined to name any of the interested teams, saying, “We're keeping all our options open. We're putting a list together, setting up meetings in the coming months. We also have to look at the whole business strategy of how we approach NASCAR. We've been with Penske for over 10 years and it's an opportunity to look at the business model very differently and see where we go from here."