The manufacturer that won two of the past three Winston Cup
championships announced Tuesday it won't return in 2004 -- leaving Chevrolet
as the only General Motors brand on the stock car circuit.
Five full-time teams currently use Pontiacs, with Ricky Craven
providing the only victory in 2003. In the manufacturer standings, Pontiac is
a distant fourth, trailing leader Chevrolet by 127 points. Ford and Dodge also
race in Winston Cup.
"The decision to withdraw from NASCAR was not an easy one," Lynn
Myers, general manager of Pontiac-GMC, said in statement. "Consistent with
GM efforts to focus its racing programs, Chevrolet will carry the NASCAR
banner while Pontiac can now devote resources to developing future racing
and marketing programs."
