Sports: Jeff Gordon Would Look Great in a Duster

The brass at DaimlerChrysler have finally decided to re-enter the world of stock-car racing. The German-American automaker will announce this week that it is offering a car with a Chrysler engine and a Dodge body to NASCAR teams. The old Chrysler Corp. dropped out of stock-car racing when the company slashed its motor-sports program in the 1970s in an effort to save money. It is no secret in Detroit that representatives from NASCAR have been wooing Dodge for years in hope that the addition of another big all-American nameplate will help make the Winston Cup series even more popular. With NASCAR events routinely outdrawing basketball, baseball and ice hockey on network and cable television, DaimlerChrysler officials believe the time has come to return to the track, putting aside those very '70s concerns about fuel economy and safety.

--By Joseph R. Szczesny/Detroit