Confirmed: Penske switching to Ford
Ford has just confirmed an earlier report from Autoweek magazine that Penske Racing is switching to Ford for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Penske will be one of the teams fielding the new Ford Fusion unveiled earlier this year.
“It was important to get this agreement in place early so that we can plan ahead for the debut of the new 2013 NASCAR Fusion,” said Jamie Allison, Ford Racing director. “We will work with Roush Fenway on the final development of the new car during this season, but we want to be able to have our teams building their new cars for the 2013 season before the end of the year, as the transition to the new body is taking place.”
Chrysler Motorsports leader Ralph Gilles wrote the following statement in response:
Dodge has enjoyed a successful partnership with Penske Racing for 10 years. It’s a partnership that has produced results for both parties on and off the track. Roger (Penske) has made a business decision to accept an offer with another manufacturer. We wish Roger and Penske Racing much success in the future.
We are committed to work with Penske Racing to compete at the highest level, win races and contend for championships this season.
Our motorsports involvement isn’t limited to NASCAR. We do value our NASCAR program and will be evaluating the opportunities available moving forward. As those opportunities materialize, we’ll reveal our 2013 plans, not only in NASCAR but in other forms of motorsports.
