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VW in NASCAR in 2013?
Rumors have been flying for three years. VW big wigs were at the Homestead finale in 2010. There was word Penske would leave Dodge after 2012 and be the flagship VW team.
Austrian based team Red Bull has officially shuttered their NASCAR operation but said they were open to sponsorship in the future… possibly with a neighboring German automaker looking to make its brand larger and move a LOT of machines in the the USA as part of a “new global initiative” in the next 8 years. Red Bull and VW already have an established racing sponsorship history. Could this be a match made in the Borderlands?VW announced they were developing an all new sporty sedan that would be built in a new Tennessee factory. There were admitted talks between NASCAR and VW in ‘09 and ‘10 but VW backed off citing a lack in modern technology and brand identity. The other manufacturers showed their hand early in 2011 and NASCAR announced they would allow manufacturers to develop new race cars for the series and move to fuel injection as part of their “green initiative.” The manufacturers were up in arms since the COT arrived in ‘07 so I wonder what pushed NASCAR to finally listen. Perhaps the muscle and a future commitment from VW/Audi/Porsche?
VW Group (VW, Porsche, Audi) certainly have an established interest in performance and motorsports. They have the kind of resources to really come in and be a force in the sport. it would expand the scope of NASCAR and open the sport to new, younger import auto enthusiasts in that important 18-25 bracket that NASCAR needs.
Also rumored are BMW, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Honda. Most of these companies are currently facing tough times and low sales due to ho-hum designs and fleets except Hyundai. Hyundai is carrying substantial momentum with a growing share of global markets. All these companies have factories in the USA which means they are eligible to present a car to NASCAR for competition.Okay, enough blabbing about shit nobody cares about but me.
((positive vibes))
