Word on the Street: Dodge is Leaving NASCAR

Per the venerable Marty Smith of ESPN, word on the street is that Dodge is pulling out of NASCAR competition after the close of the 2012 NASCAR racing season.

They're expected to make this announcement today (Tu, 8-7).

Dodge had one horse in the NASCAR show in the form of Penske Racing.  As we know, Penske is moving to Ford in 2013, and maybe that's the nail in the sponsor coffin.  Or that they were told and given the chance to find a new boat to float in.

Either way, the racing industry has been quietly pondering if the parent company of Dodge, which is Fiat, has any real motivations for the world of NASCAR.  Of course, they'll probably say they do in any press that comes of this, from Fiat's end.

(Fiat?  Wow, this world is getting smaller or whackier every day.)

[espn]