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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It was a banner day for the Dodge brand Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.
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| Ryan Newman's victory at Daytona is a great start for Dodge this season. (AP) |
But when you glance at the final results, it's one Dodge after another in the final running order. Six of the top eight drivers were sporting the manufacturer's badge.
"Listening to all the hype this week, you heard a lot about a lot of people besides the Dodge boys," said Dodge Motorsports director Mike Accavitti. "We knew we had a super-strong team. We knew we were going to have a great season and we couldn't be more proud of all our Dodge teams.
"We've been telling everybody that we're working better together and the proof is in the pudding and we served up a heaping helping of Dodge boys pudding out there today."
There was, of course, the Penske Dodges of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch finishing 1-2. Ganassi Racing's Reed Sorenson took fifth, while a pair of Gillett-Evernham drivers, Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne, finished sixth and seventh.
"It was pretty fun there at the end," Sorenson said. "We got two or three wide and pushed each other really hard and there happened to be about four Dodges lined up at the end. Everybody on the team has done a great job since we got here and I think that says a lot about what we can do this year.”
Kahne, too, was hoping his strong showing is a sign of things to come after a disappointing 2007 season.
"We had a really good car all race long," Kahne said. "The team did a good job with the pit stops, the car was great, just everything was really good today. Hopefully it is like that all year long."
Robby Gordon, using a Gillett-Evernham prepared motor, finished eighth. Gordon, who had been driving a Ford all through testing, entered into a last-minute partnership with GEM, and it paid off handsomely.
"Pretty darn impressive," Gordon said. "Hats off to all of the guys at GEM. Congratulations to Dodge, and obviously the two Penske boys. It looks like they got their restrictor-plate program figured out. They've always been there, but never had the results. It looks like they delivered today."
Bobby Labonte got his season off to a good start with an 11th-place finish in his Petty Enterprises Dodge, while rookie Sam Hornish Jr., the Penske teammate of Newman and Busch, took home 15th. During the early portion of the race, he was even running in the top five.
Accavitti believes it could be the start of a dominant season for Dodge in 2008. "This is an awesome victory," Accavitti said. "The win is super important. Ryan (Newman) and the No. 12 team did an excellent job. Penske Racing was on top of their game. For us to get six out of the top eight is just a phenomenal showing for Dodge. It shows the depth of our program and we couldn't be more excited for the 2008 season."
