After having their flagship team, Penske Racing, announce they are moving forward with Ford next season the long-term future of Dodge in NASCAR has been subject to speculation.

Dodge has decided to pull out of sponsoring NASCAR at the end of this season. Chrysler, which owns the Dodge brand, scheduled a conference call for Tuesday afternoon to announce the decision.

Dodge had returned to NASCAR in 2001 following a 23-year absence.

Penske’s announcement came as a surprise for Dodge who had spent the last two years working on the Dodge Charger for the 2013 Sprint Cup at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Penske Racing