Avenger to Replace Charger in NASCAR

[brickyard1911]

It looks like the Avenger is going to replace the Charger in NASCAR. Chevy is going to switch from the Monte Carlo SS to the Impala SS also.

http://www.jayski.com/past/chrysler.htm

[Rev.Hammer]

Ya know... and not being an a-ho on this:
This would upset me infinitely more if there was a real world connection between the Chargers of NASCAR and the Chargers on the street. I dont think that there is one single common part...

[elcobra44]

The Avenger can go to hell..

[mascott82]

I just read this on jayski's, and I'm shocked. I didn't know dodge even still made the avenger (or plans to again)? I wonder if the darlington race will still be the "dodge charger 500"?

[SRT8U]

Well if you think about it, the other cars that are will be in the series, the Fusion, Camry and the Impala are not at all in teh same size/price perfomance class as the charger, so it makes more sense for dodge to use a car that competes head to head in the showroom with those cars for marketing purposes, and that will be teh avenger when it comes out.

[broc2238]

Didn't the avenger use to be the Nascar body when it was out before???

[Mines Black]

Didn't the avenger use to be the Nascar body when it was out before???


Could it be the intrepid you are thinking about brocc

I thought NASCAR stood for this

National

Association of

STOCK

Car

Auto

Racing

Like somebody already said the charger looks nothing like our cars already and correct me if I'm wrong but we can't buy there "Car of Tomarrow" off the show room floor I'm all for safety but come up with something better please, I think after they start using it in bristol next year I am going to be one of thousands loosing interest in NASCAR :( :angry:

If you couldn't tell I'm not a big fan of the car/ricer of tomarrow so to me it doesn't matter what body they use cause its going to look like a freakin space ship and there will be nothing STOCK about them (like there is now) but at least now you can tell what make and models they are suppose to be

sorry for my little rant I feel better now

[SRT8U]

They used the avenger in IROC

[ChargerSXT]

Here's a repost of mine from another thread on this topic:

I'm really not sure where Yahoo Sports got this information. As of now, the Avenger is a concept, not a production car. If I remember correctly, the cars used in NASCAR must be production cars, or they can use previous models (that are no longer in production) for up to 3 years after production ends...e.g., some Dodge teams ran the Intrepid a few times earlier in the year instead of the Charger.

Second, for a manufacturer to race a car, the body has to be approved by NASCAR. The new Avenger body would have to been submitted by July, I think it is, for the approval process. I don't think that something like a new body for Dodge (and Chevrolet) could be kept under wraps this well.

Finally, NASCAR has approved a new nose for the Charger for 2007. I don't think that they would approve a new nose AND a whole new body. Add to that the fact that the Car of Tomorrow will be run at 9 tracks next year. So, that would give Dodge a new nose for the Charger, a new body (the Avenger) from a car that isn't in production...yet, AND a whole new car in the Car of Tomorrow.

It may be possible that they will end up rebadging the Car of Tomorrow as an Avenger...if/when it goes into production. Until then, it will be a Charger.

[a14umbra]

Here's a repost of mine from another thread on this topic:

I'm really not sure where Yahoo Sports got this information. As of now, the Avenger is a concept, not a production car. If I remember correctly, the cars used in NASCAR must be production cars, or they can use previous models (that are no longer in production) for up to 3 years after production ends...e.g., some Dodge teams ran the Intrepid a few times earlier in the year instead of the Charger.

Second, for a manufacturer to race a car, the body has to be approved by NASCAR. The new Avenger body would have to been submitted by July, I think it is, for the approval process. I don't think that something like a new body for Dodge (and Chevrolet) could be kept under wraps this well.

Finally, NASCAR has approved a new nose for the Charger for 2007. I don't think that they would approve a new nose AND a whole new body. Add to that the fact that the Car of Tomorrow will be run at 9 tracks next year. So, that would give Dodge a new nose for the Charger, a new body (the Avenger) from a car that isn't in production...yet, AND a whole new car in the Car of Tomorrow.

It may be possible that they will end up rebadging the Car of Tomorrow as an Avenger...if/when it goes into production. Until then, it will be a Charger.

Wow! You said everything I was thinking.

[mascott82]

I'm figuring they would keep the exact same body already approved by nascar, and just start referring to it as the avenger. I don't know if nascar still requires a retail version of the car, it seems to me they used to require a 2-door, and obviously don't now.

I admit I have also been losing interest in nascar recently with all the changes, and the COT certainly won't help.

[TeeJizzle]

Does it really matter what car they use? They are just putting stickers on sheet metal and calling it a charger, impala, fusion. The actualy shape of the cars are pretty much the same, with the exception of the grill.

[R/T_ChicK]

The Dodge Avenger is going into production. There hasn't been a lot of talk about it because of all the models that were launched this year and will be launched early next year. We should see the Avenger some time next year.

[69 Daytona]

Bring back the Daytona, It will kill them all

[HemiChemi]

Ya know... and not being an a-ho on this:
This would upset me infinitely more if there was a real world connection between the Chargers of NASCAR and the Chargers on the street. I dont think that there is one single common part...

Could it be the intrepid you are thinking about brocc

I thought NASCAR stood for this

National

Association of

STOCK

Car

Auto

Racing

Like somebody already said the charger looks nothing like our cars already and correct me if I'm wrong but we can't buy there "Car of Tomarrow" off the show room floor I'm all for safety but come up with something better please, I think after they start using it in bristol next year I am going to be one of thousands loosing interest in NASCAR :( :angry:

If you couldn't tell I'm not a big fan of the car/ricer of tomarrow so to me it doesn't matter what body they use cause its going to look like a freakin space ship and there will be nothing STOCK about them (like there is now) but at least now you can tell what make and models they are suppose to be

sorry for my little rant I feel better now
I know it'll never happen, but I would love a return to TRUE stock-car racing on a national level!

[Myrmydon]

In the December edition of "Motor Trend" , there is a small article and a picture of the new Avenger. It looks like a baby Charger. But, production Vs. race is totally different. I could see it having the same nose , just different badging.

[kenobi0001]

Dodge will race both the Charger and Avenger
Chevy will race Monte Carlo and Impala

[ChargerSXT]

Dodge will race both the Charger and Avenger
Chevy will race Monte Carlo and Impala

I'm curious, where are you getting this info? Will the COT be badged as the Avenger?

[HEMIDON]

Correct me if I'm wrong...

Todays stock car (NASCAR) rules require the use of a production floor and toe pan and a production roof panel. Although the parts must be from a production vehicle the may be modified so long as they are from production sheet metal.

Yea, todays NASCAR vehicles are no where near what the name represents... To me they all look the same except for the grille and the tail lights...

[ChargerSXT]

Correct me if I'm wrong...

Todays stock car (NASCAR) rules require the use of a production floor and toe pan and a production roof panel. Although the parts must be from a production vehicle the may be modified so long as they are from production sheet metal.

Yea, todays NASCAR vehicles are no where near what the name represents... To me they all look the same except for the grille and the tail lights...

I believe you are correct...but I can't find the official rules and regulations on the cars.

[brickyard1911]

I'm curious, where are you getting this info? Will the COT be badged as the Avenger?

While I have seen a few articles claiming the Avenger will replace the Charger, I haven't seen anything regarding Dodge and the name of their COT.

Chevy, on the other hand, has announced that the current car will remain the Monte Carlo and the Impala will be the name used on their COT. Thus the Monte Carlo will be phased out along with the current style car.

I suspect this will be the case with the Charger/Avenger also. The Avenger is going to be made....and soon. They may appear as soon as January.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/avenger.html

[ChargerSXT]

While I have seen a few articles claiming the Avenger will replace the Charger, I haven't seen anything regarding Dodge and the name of their COT.

Chevy, on the other hand, has announced that the current car will remain the Monte Carlo and the Impala will be the name used on their COT. Thus the Monte Carlo will be phased out along with the current style car.

I suspect this will be the case with the Charger/Avenger also. The Avenger is going to be made....and soon. They may appear as soon as January.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/avenger.html

I could see Dodge using the Avenger as the name for the COT. If you look closely, the lower front facia on the Avenger looks remarkably similar to the splitter that will be used on the COT.

[ChargerSXT]

An interesting read....

http://premium.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/10/28/dodge_cot/index.html

[ChargerSXT]

Still more. This is the first I've seen the Avenger's name used in print with respect to NASCAR.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/racing/wires/10/27/3010.ap.car.nascar.atlanta.notebook.0797/index.html

[superdart]

Well, here is the production car. Not sure how they are going to make it in to a race car. I think the name/body change is strictly a marketing thing. This car will repalce the current Stratus, but with a 3.5L R/T option, it will be one hell of a step up.

http://www.allpar.com/images/cars/spy-shots/avenger.jpg

[HemiChemi]

Allpar doesn't allow pic linking...

See it here:

http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/avenger.html

[ChargerSXT]

Again, that front valence (sp?) sure does look like the new front splitter on the COT.

[leftyturner]

The Avenger will be used for the COT and the Charger for the rest of the 2007 races.

[ChargerSXT]

Here's the latest that I've found:

New cars/new engines
Both Chevrolet and Dodge debut new cars in 2007. Chevrolet will debut the Impala SS as its model for the Car of Tomorrow, while Dodge is expected to introduce sometime before the Daytona 500 the all-new Avenger as its model for the Car of Tomorrow.

Anytime a manufacturer brings a new car into competition, there are teething pains. Dodge knows this all too well as teams struggled for nearly a year and a half after the Charger was introduced.

Ford teams, despite having some success in the first year with its new Fusion, faced challenges, too, but to a much lesser extent.

Chevrolet also debuts an all-new engine design, which the manufacturer hopes will ensure a level playing field with the new Nextel Cup engine being introduced by Toyota as well as the anticipated new engines from both Dodge and Ford in the near future. Because of manufacturing limitations and availability of parts, the new Chevy engine won't be in use by all teams until the spring of '07.

Dodge teams will have a new nose for their Charger, which the manufacturer hopes will address the aerodynamic issues it has struggled with since the introduction of the Charger in 2005.

[PRoBLeMz]

man, that avenger, even though I think it nice they brought it back after a few years, they should have at least made it, its own stype, the front end and tail look to much like the charger, its either Chrysler is doing the little, big, bigger brother again, or they are planning on killing the charger within a few years ;)

[brickyard1911]

It's Official!

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/01/09/dodge.cot.avenger/index.html

http://i.a.cnn.net/nascar/2007/news/headlines/cup/01/09/dodge.cot.avenger/avenger.384.jpg

[Gr8Srt8]

It's Official!

I guess Dodge figures, in order to beat the Chevys, you gotta look like one. :sad:

[moparknighthawk]

The Avenger is JOINING the Charger for NASCAR duties. Just like the Impala is joining the Monte Carlo for NASCAR duties.

[ChargerSXT]

The Avenger is JOINING the Charger for NASCAR duties. Just like the Impala is joining the Monte Carlo for NASCAR duties.

It will be joining the Charger for the next couple of years until the COT replaces the current cars...then it will be only the COT/Avenger.

[Gr8Srt8]

I think that NASCAR's Chargers should look like these:

http://www.whitlockmotorsports.com/Dilley_wallpaper.htm

[ChargerSXT]

I think that NASCAR's Chargers should look like these:

http://www.whitlockmotorsports.com/Dilley_wallpaper.htm

Is that the new nose for the Charger that will be used this year? I know that the new nose is laid back a bit more instead of stright up-and-down like it has been. I'm trying to find pics.

[moparknighthawk]

Is that the new nose for the Charger that will be used this year? I know that the new nose is laid back a bit more instead of stright up-and-down like it has been. I'm trying to find pics.


Thats not the official NASCAR Charger. Its not Kasey's either. The number "9" logo is not correct and not Evernham's car. Its a knock off for a local racer.

[ChargerSXT]

After looking around, I believe that this is the new nose. Notice that the top part of the grill is now laid back a bit.

http://www.jayski.com/schemes/2007/10cup.htm

[Gr8Srt8]

Thats not the official NASCAR Charger. Its not Kasey's either. The number "9" logo is not correct and not Evernham's car. Its a knock off for a local racer.

No... It's what CASCAR [Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing] Teams use as their Dodge Chargers. To me, this represents the Charger MYSTIC way more than what NASCAR tries to pass off as a Charger.

NASCAR's pi&&ing me off with the cars they present as race cars. What they should do is go down to Independence Boulevard (a major road in Charlotte where every kind of car dealer can be found) and start making body templates for every manufacturer competing in the series. Then, start using THESE templates for tech inspections. That way, a Monte Carlo will LOOK like a Monte Carlo, a Charger will be a CHARGER, etc. Now, that's STOCK CAR racing.

[DODGEBALLS]

That's pretty cool still

[jimmyg]

Bring back the Daytona, It will kill them all

NO SH*T!!! I'd love to see the Daytona of old take on the Look-alike Sh*t boxes of Nascar today. That would be one event worth the time to see!!:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

[We Built This City]

I live in Detroit and THE AVENGER is out

I've already seen about 7 to 8 of them roaming the streets daily. Not manufacturer cars either, regular old passenger cars

I hate how they gave it very similar curves to the Charger

Nonetheless, the SRT Avenger will be a monster

I'm still a Charger person though

Oh yeah

PROPS TO JUAN MONTOYA bumping his teammate to get the win

BLACK CHARGERS ARE THE BEST!!!

[daddy4count]

The SRT Avenger has the 3.5L engine... but lacks HP compared to the Charger. It's down 25hp and only beats the Charger by about 500 lbs. Plus it's front wheel drive.

I was bummed when I heard about the change in NASCAR... Partly because I think Dodge should make up it's freakin mind... Intrepid for a few years... Charger... Avenger. Whats next? In 2009 will they change again?

But mainly because I kind of liked driving my Charger around the Seattle area with Kasey Kahne's signature on my trunk lid. The excitement and value of that is lessened somehow by the COT change to Avenger.

Personally I've always liked the look of the Avenger... nicely agressive compared to its Chrysler counterpart. But the new body style looks more like the Charger Lite.

[HEMI911]

Here's a repost of mine from another thread on this topic:

I'm really not sure where Yahoo Sports got this information. As of now, the Avenger is a concept, not a production car. If I remember correctly, the cars used in NASCAR must be production cars, or they can use previous models (that are no longer in production) for up to 3 years after production ends...e.g., some Dodge teams ran the Intrepid a few times earlier in the year instead of the Charger.

Second, for a manufacturer to race a car, the body has to be approved by NASCAR. The new Avenger body would have to been submitted by July, I think it is, for the approval process. I don't think that something like a new body for Dodge (and Chevrolet) could be kept under wraps this well.

Finally, NASCAR has approved a new nose for the Charger for 2007. I don't think that they would approve a new nose AND a whole new body. Add to that the fact that the Car of Tomorrow will be run at 9 tracks next year. So, that would give Dodge a new nose for the Charger, a new body (the Avenger) from a car that isn't in production...yet, AND a whole new car in the Car of Tomorrow.

It may be possible that they will end up rebadging the Car of Tomorrow as an Avenger...if/when it goes into production. Until then, it will be a Charger.

Now here is a man of my own heart, one who knows NASCAR!!!!

[Stoenr]

I wasnt aware of the Avenger coming back. Until just seen a pretty cool commercial where they have 5 of them on a dyno and manually changing gears from inside a control room making up a song as they shifted each cars gears.
But might be old news. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g07AarNDNk&mode=related&search=

Looks to be a few on youtube.

[ChargerSXT]

The SRT Avenger has the 3.5L engine... but lacks HP compared to the Charger. It's down 25hp and only beats the Charger by about 500 lbs. Plus it's front wheel drive.

I was bummed when I heard about the change in NASCAR... Partly because I think Dodge should make up it's freakin mind... Intrepid for a few years... Charger... Avenger. Whats next? In 2009 will they change again?

But mainly because I kind of liked driving my Charger around the Seattle area with Kasey Kahne's signature on my trunk lid. The excitement and value of that is lessened somehow by the COT change to Avenger.

Personally I've always liked the look of the Avenger... nicely agressive compared to its Chrysler counterpart. But the new body style looks more like the Charger Lite.

Dude, how/where did you get Kasey's sig? I've wanted to get him to sign my car ever since I placed the order. Take a look at the pics of my car, and you'll see a few Kasey Kahne things on it and in it.

[ChargerSXT]

Now here is a man of my own heart, one who knows NASCAR!!!!

I've never been accused of knowing something before. Thanks!

[ChargerSXT]

At the risk of being flamed by you guys and gals...I have to admit something...I have to come out of the closet.

After watching the Bristol, I actually like the new car. To me, it actually looks more like something you see on the street today...specially the Avenger. Even the NASCAR "old timers" have said that it looks more "stock" and drives more like the old-schoold stock cars.

Yes, the wing will take some getting use to, but I look forward to seeing the car on tracks other than short tracks.

OK...let the flaming begin...

[HemiChemi]

How long before we see an Avenger with a COT spoiler on it... :smoke: :dead:

[Fuel 100]

How long before we see an Avenger with a COT spoiler on it... :smoke: :dead:

I'm thinking about putting one on my RT. :nervous s

[Fuel 100]

At the risk of being flamed by you guys and gals...I have to admit something...I have to come out of the closet.

After watching the Bristol, I actually like the new car. To me, it actually looks more like something you see on the street today...specially the Avenger. Even the NASCAR "old timers" have said that it looks more "stock" and drives more like the old-schoold stock cars.

Yes, the wing will take some getting use to, but I look forward to seeing the car on tracks other than short tracks.

OK...let the flaming begin...

I thought they were pretty cool, but I just started watching NASCAR, so what do I know? :grin:

[ChargerSXT]

How long before we see an Avenger with a COT spoiler on it... :smoke: :dead:

Didn't the Pace Car have a COT spoiler on it?

[HemiChemi]

Didn't the Pace Car have a COT spoiler on it?
That was a Chevy though, wasn't it?

[ChargerSXT]

That was a Chevy though, wasn't it?

I believe so, yes.

[psemond72]

At the risk of being flamed by you guys and gals...I have to admit something...I have to come out of the closet.

After watching the Bristol, I actually like the new car. To me, it actually looks more like something you see on the street today...specially the Avenger. Even the NASCAR "old timers" have said that it looks more "stock" and drives more like the old-schoold stock cars.

Yes, the wing will take some getting use to, but I look forward to seeing the car on tracks other than short tracks.

OK...let the flaming begin...

I didn't really notice myself focusing on the new car during the Bristol race. It doesn't really look that much different. I did notice, however, that the "bump and run" will be much harder in the COT. NASCAR hasn't been "true" stock car racing in many years, I don't care, it's still awesome to watch these guys drive their cars.....