2006 Dodge Charger NASCAR

Kyle Petty

Kyle Eugene Petty was born on June 2nd of 1960 in Randleman, North Caroline. He is the son of Richard Petty and the grandson of Lee Petty, making this a family of racing legends. Growing up, Kyle excelled in sports, including football and basketball and was offered scholarships to many colleges. For this reason, he did not want to follow in the family business. Eventually, he went with tradition and won his first stock race at the ARCA 200 event at the Daytona International Speedway in 1979. He tried his luck at the Winston Cup Series, but he crashed during qualifying in March, May and July. He qualified for the Talladega race in August and managed to finish the race in an impressive ninth place. He raced as much as he could during the 1980 season, using spare cars when they were available.

In 1985 he left Petty Enterprises to join the Wood Brothers Team. A year later he had secured his first Winston Cup victory at the Richmond International Raceway. A short time later, in 1997, he formed his own team in partnership with Petty Enterprises, which he dubbed PE2. PE2 later merged with Petty Enterprises with Kyle sitting as the CEO.

Charging Off the Line in NASCAR Nextel Cup Competition

Following the adage that 'racing improves the breed,' motorsports competition has long been part of the Dodge heritage. From engineering labs in Auburn Hills, Mich., to shop floors in Charlotte, N.C., Dodge, its teams and its dealers live the philosophy it takes to be successful in the ultra-competitive world of racing.

'We're very excited about the new Charger. Not only does it bring back one of the great names in racing history, but it also reinforces the racing heritage of the Dodge brand,' said John Fernandez, Director — Dodge Motorsports Operations, Chrysler Group. 'Our goal is to return the Charger to the winner's circle, which is where I first saw it as a boy watching Richard Petty, Buddy Baker and Bobby Issacs dominate the early days of NASCAR.'

Charger to Build on Dodge Presence in Passenger Car Market

With a U.S. market share of approximately seven percent, Dodge is the fourth-largest nameplate in the United States and the eighth-largest nameplate in the automotive industry. In 2004, Dodge sold more than 1.1 million vehicles. Dodge continues to lead the minivan market segment with a 20 percent U.S. market share and maintains an 18 percent share of the highly competitive truck market.

A Modern Interpretation of a Legend

The 2006 Dodge Charger races forward with modern coupe styling and four-door functionality.

'The all-new Dodge Charger is here – with a bold and stunning design, and the performance to back it up – and it's worthy of the Charger name,' said Trevor Creed, Senior Vice President — Design, Chrysler Group. 'The muscular body form, bold front end and coupe-like profile make the new Charger very fresh and contemporary in its execution.'

The Dodge Charger interior has a driver-oriented cockpit designed with a performance mind-set. It is sporty, functional and simple, featuring a sleek instrument panel and Viper-inspired tunneled gauges highlighted with white faces and satin silver accent rings.

A silver trim bezel surrounding the shifter and additional silver accents in the center stack add just the right touch of brightness to the comfortable interior. The two-tone interior features a darker upper color and a lighter lower color, giving the cabin an open feeling.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2007

The Dodge Charger – one of the biggest, well-known names from the muscle car era – has powered its way back to streets and racetracks across America, paying homage to the muscle cars of the '60s, and adding 21st century performance and functionality.
Available with a 250 horse power High-Output V-6 engine or the legenday 340 horsepower HEMI V-8 engine, the all new 2006 Dodge Charger races into the car market with contemporary, provocative styling and substance with all the convenience of a modern sedan. (concept carz)
With powerful world-class hardware and software beneath the Charger's skin, Dodge designers sculptured a car that celebrates all that is good about American cars in a thoroughly modern way. The all-new 2006 Dodge Charger has a long character line that defines the front corners, runs back to the rear door and makes way for a huge rear fender that gives notice that the car is rear-wheel-drive powered.
The 2006 Dodge Charger is offered in several versions designed specifically for all levels and desires of modern muscle-car enthusiasts. The Dodge Charger SE, SXT, R/T and the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T are all available in the first year of production.Motorsports
The legendary Dodge Charger race car is roaring again in 2005 as Dodge Motorsports revealed its modern-day version of the Dodge Charger for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The Dodge Charger for NASCAR Nextel Cup Series competition features the same body styling, signature grille and powerful performance found throughout the Dodge lineup. It takes its design cues from the new Dodge Charger production vehicle with its instantly recognizable crosshair grille, bold rear fascia and signature rear side windows. Riding the waves of Dodge's success in NASCAR Nextel Cup series racing since returning to the sport in 2001, the new Dodge Charger race car made its NASCAR Nextel Cup Series debut at the Feb. 20, Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Four Dodge factory-backed teams, including 11 drivers, are competing in NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racing in 2005.

Source - Dodge

Kevin Lepage was born on June 26th of 1962 in Shelburne, Vermont. During the 1980s he drove for the Busch North Series and the American Canadian Tour Series. He raced in these leagues, with some success, for fourteen years. In 1986 he made his racing debut in the Busch Series at Oxford Plains Speedway. He started the race in 41st position, and ended it in 15th. By 1994, he had become and owner/driver in the number 71 Vermont Teddy Bear Company car. He finished the season 24th in points.

In 1995, he managed to score five Top 10's and ended the season in 18th in points. He lost his sponsorship at the end of the season, but continued to run his car until April. He then joined David Ridling with sponsorship from Famer's Choice Fertizlier.

Lepage's first Busch Series victory came at the end of the season, at the Jiffy Lube Miami 300. He concluded the season with 3 Top 5 finishes, 10 in the Top 10, and a single victory. This earned him eight in points. The following season, he finished 12th in points.

In 1999, Lepage raced with sponsorship from Primestar, which later switched to TV Guide in April after Primestar was sold to General Motors owned DirectTV. He finished the season 25th in points.

In 2000, he was unsponsored for a short time before picking up some much needed help from Familyclick.com. He finished the year 28th in points, after failing to qualify on two occasions. He had 1 Top 5 finish and 3 Top 10s throughout the year.

The following season, he finished 42nd in points after starting just 10 races. In those races he had 1 Top 5 and 2 Top 10s. He returned to the Busch Series to run his own team, Matrix Motorsports, driving the #71 car in 2001.

In 2002, Lepage found himself again without sponsorship. He later joined the Bewco Motorsports driving the #37 Timber Wolf Chevrolet. He started 24 races that year, finishing in the top ten on six occasion and finishing 25th in points.

He ran at the Cup level on one occasion in 2003, finishing 32nd at the Coca-Cola 600. He teamed with Morgan-McClue in 2004, which lasted for just six races before sponsorship dried-up. He signed with Competitive Edge Motorsports, and left the team shortly thereafter.

In 2005 he finished ninth at the Daytona 500. Near the close of the season, he signed with Peak Fitness Racing and managed a sixth-place qualifying position at Kansas. He also drove with the MacDonald sponsored car for six races in the Busch Series.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2007