Dodge president Mike Accavitti reaffirms brand's commitment to NASCAR

Dodge president and CEO Mike Accavitti reaffirmed the manufacturer's commitment to NASCAR on Sunday. He also made it clear that the brand's involvement in the sport will remain on a smaller scale than some of its competitors.

Dodge backs two multi-car teams, Penske Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports. But there is speculation that the Petty team will switch to a different manufacturer next season, and no guarantee Dodge would replace them with a new team.

"We're not a big organization," Accavitti said. "We haven't really been. We need to start acting like the organization that we are. We're nimble and we're smaller than the other guys. And we feel like if we focus our resources on fewer teams, that we can produce better results."

Accavitti said Dodge tried backing more teams in the past, but it spread their resources too thin. At its current level of support, Dodge has two drivers - Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne - in solid contention to make NASCAR's championship chase.

"You really only need (about) three good drivers - good cars, I should say, good teams - and that would be sufficient for us," Accavitti said. "We'll strike the appropriate balance where we can have a good Sunday afternoon for our Dodge fans."

After receiving U.S. government aid, Dodge's financially troubled parent company, Chrysler, has emerged from bankruptcy protection with new management controlled by Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA.

And while Dodge's ongoing support of NASCAR won't be on the same scale as Ford, GM or Toyota, Accavitti sought to quell a new round of rumours that Dodge was leaving the sport.

"We want to continue to talk to the fans in NASCAR, and we want to continue to provide them with good performance and exciting days at the races, which is what the Dodge drivers have been doing for us this year," Accavitti said. "And again, we intend to remain involved with the NASCAR sport for the foreseeable future."

Accavitti also confirmed reports payments Dodge owed to the Petty team were delayed. But he attributed the issue to procedural issues related to Chrysler's bankruptcy and said it has been resolved.

Kahne confirmed that he recently did a photo shoot for sponsor Budweiser with a Toyota in the background, adding to speculation that the Petty team would not be back with Dodge next year.

"I didn't see that photo," Accavitti said, joking. "Maybe my filter blocks that out on my computer."

EDWARDS' JUMP: Carl Edwards remains one of NASCAR's winless wonders, but his fourth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday vaulted him two spots to fourth in the Sprint Cup points standings.

"That's the best we've run in a while," Edwards said. "We made some changes throughout the race. I learned some things. We made the car really fast. I felt like we had a top-three or top-four car, and that's pretty cool. It's been a little while since I've really felt that comfortable with my car."

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