Responding to the media advisory from Gillett Evernham Motorsports that a multi-year sponsorship agreement for Kasey Kahne and the #9 Dodge has been finalized and will be announced on Tuesday, Mike Accavitti, Director - Dodge Brand and SRT Marketing and Communications, issued the following statement:

“When Dodge made its return to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series in 2001 with Ray Evernham and Evernham Motorsports, a key component of the program was the sponsorship of the 9 and 19 by our Dodge Dealers. That partnership with Evernham Motorsports has produced significant on-track results and has been a viable platform for our dealer group to showcase the Dodge DNA of power and performance. During the past seven years, the Dodge family has grown to multiple teams with multi-car operations. That’s created new opportunities and challenges for Dodge as we focus on the future and our goal of winning races and competing for the championship in NASCAR’s premier series. Additional sponsorship support of the No. 9 Dodge Avenger, driven by Kasey Kahne, in 2008 gives Dodge the opportunity to redirect valuable resources toward the challenges facing all our teams. We welcome the new partnership and look forward to working with Gillett Evernham Motorsports toward the goal we share with all teams in the Dodge family, the Nextel Cup. This does not change our commitment to be the manufacturing leader in NASCAR’s premier series, win races and consistently contend for the Nextel Cup. We now have the opportunity to apply additional resources to areas that can directly impact the on-track performance of all our teams and expand marketing opportunities for our dealers.”