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'An option we couldn't turn down' - Mar 01, 2012 - NASCAR.COM

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Roger Penske, who switched to Ford in like '92 or so and ran with them until '02, then switched to Dodge, is coming on back into the Ford camp. No word on if he will build his own engines or not.

So I guess we have Brad Keselowski & AJ Allmendinger to look forward ot next year.

My roommate pointed out something interesting about this. Maybe AJ Allmendinger got over to Penske and started saying, "You know, Ford has a lot going on over there that you should get in on!"

And this quote from Roger Penske on NASCAR.com really backs him up.

Quote:

We've been operating pretty much for the last 10 years with some support ... but we needed to have a benchmark. And I think having that additional technical information flow through the process, as Ford has outlined it to us, I think was very important to us.

-Roger Penske

Dodge pulled funding on everything but Penske a year or so back.

So I have a bet. Either Dodge is going to completely pull out of racing.... or they are going to pull in Joe Gibbs. If not Gibbs, then Michael Waltrip because then Waltrip could be the lead Dodge team and not dependent on TRD or anything. My real bet would be Gibbs though.

Another precarious situation is hwere does this leave Chevrolet? With Ford picking up two more cars, they are almost matching the Chevrolet numbers next year. Chevrolet doesn't have the up and rising stars that Ford does. Ford has Bayne, Stenhouse, Edwards is in his prime, Brad K and AJ are coming oer... most of your star Chevrolet drivers are established, running strong.... but that's the present. Ford has the future right now. My guess is Chevrolet is going to snatch up either Bayne or Stenhouse before long. Just like Chevrolet swept out Jeff Gordon in '92.