In the Winston Cup garage, a lot of drivers will tell you the car you want to be in right now is a Dodge.
Numbers seem to bear that out.
Since the rule change allowing Dodge to extend its front valance two inches out from the front bumper went into effect at Indy, Dodge has made a major leap forward. In particular, veteran drivers Ward Burton, Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin have benefited. In the 20 races prior to the rule change, Dodge had no wins. In the five since, it has two, one by Marlin and Sunday's Southern 500 at Darlington by Burton. In the 20 races before the new rule took effect, Dodge had one driver, Marlin, in the top 15 in points.