Among the 16 cars that will start Sunday’s race, nine are Chevys from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM), five come from Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) and two come from Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F).
Automakers, too, compete for the Sprint Cup Manufacturers’ trophy, and more than bragging rights are at stake. Chevrolet has dominated victory lane over the years. Last year the company won its 12th consecutive manufacturers’ trophy and its 38th since Sprint Cup series got its start in 1949.
Like many other of life’s endeavors, the story goes that the way to make a small fortune in car racing is to start with a large fortune. New cars cost north of $100,000, engines (which are switched out for higher performance models) cost another $100,000 and all the other specialized parts add a third $100,000 to cost of car. That is before anyone pumps up the tires or turns the key in the ignition.
Over the years, Chevy has won 738 races to lead second-place winner Ford by 106 total victories. Dodge, a brand owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU), left the NASCAR circuit after the 2012 season after the Penske team chose to leave Dodge and return to Ford. Dodge has tallied 217 victories, the third-highest total among all 16 automakers that have ever won a NASCAR race. Toyota, which only began NASCAR Sprint Cup racing in 2007, has won 65 races.
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