Penske Racing to use Roush-Yates engines in 2013
Now for some news about Penske Racing that doesn't involve the driver's seat of the No. 22 car. Penske, which currently fields Dodges in the Sprint Cup Series, will switch to Fords in 2013 and it was announced Monday that the team will use Roush-Yates horsepower next year.
"We are very pleased that Penske Racing has decided to use Roush Yates' FR9 engines as they re-join Ford starting in 2013," Ford Racing director Jamie Allison said in a statement. "This aligns well with the spirit of One Ford; having a unified One Ford engine program in NASCAR allows us to apply all of our technical resources into one program benefitting all Ford teams. We believe the FR9 has proven to be a strong engine and by taking the input from our teams and drivers at Roush Fenway, Penske Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports and the Wood Brothers, we know that input, along with the knowledge and technical skills of Ford and Roush Yates, led by Doug Yates, will only make our engine program even more competitive in the future."
As the only full-time Dodge team currently in the Sprint Cup Series, Penske has its own engine program -- and the future of that program is now up in the air. Penske President Tim Cindric told USA Today that "We don't see there being any more potential on the NASCAR side with Dodge." Cindric also said that the team was exploring its options, which included sending some employees to Roush-Yates, reassignment, or other projects.
Could one option be selling the engine program to Furniture Row Racing, which admitted that it has had discussions with Dodge for 2013? Right now, Dodge doesn't have any teams lined up for the 2013 season and Furniture Row currently gets chassis from Richard Childress Racing and engines from Earnhardt Childress.
