2006 Racing Issue - UAW-Chrysler.com

Winning Together
TOP TO BOTTOM: GETTY IMAGES (2); BILL SCHWAB
YOUNG GUNS AND NASCAR LEGENDS
Kasey Kahne (top),
Richard Petty (center),
Ralph Gilles (bottom)
WELCOME TO THE PROUD PAST AND PROMISING FUTURE of the
UAW and DaimlerChrysler on the racetracks and Main Streets
of America.
We are showcasing our union-management partnership’s
commitment to NASCAR competition in 2006 by publishing
this sixth annual Special Racing Issue of Tomorrow. Both the
company and UAW members benefit from our association with
Nextel Cup, Evernham Motorsports and the UAW-
DaimlerChrysler 400, which has become one of the
premier events on the Cup circuit (see page 6).
This is an opportunity for us to thank NASCAR
fans for their support of Dodge as the current generation
of Chargers builds on the legacy of a previous
era of Dodge racing muscle. For revealing insights
into NASCAR’s elite series then and now, see the
comments on page 12 by Richard Petty and Buddy
Baker, who led the pack in the Charger’s glory days of the 1970s.
We also thank motorsports fans for their loyalty to our products of
today. The success of the Charger’s bold street version and other pacesetting
Dodge models bodes well for the future of the Chrysler Group
and our employees in today’s fiercely competitive automotive market.
On the track, the 2006 season holds great promise for our partnership
with Ray Evernham (see page 18). Jeremy Mayfield, who pilots
the No. 19 Charger co-sponsored by the UAW-DaimlerChrysler
National Training Center, has matured into one of the Nextel Cup
Series’ most consistent top performers. Kasey Kahne, in the No. 9
Charger co-sponsored by the NTC, has demonstrated the God-given talent most NASCAR
pundits predict will make him a frequent visitor to Victory Lane. As much as any of the
young guns, Kasey represents the promising future of NASCAR.
Speaking of young guns, we have some of our own in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler
family, including Ralph Gilles. His meteoric rise has elevated this 35-year-old
automotive stylist to celebrity status inside and outside the industry (see page 15).
As lead designer on the Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger, co-sponsored by the
UAW-DaimlerChrysler National Training Center, Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300,
Gilles has earned widespread acclaim and respect. Black Enterprise magazine recently
named him to its “Hot List: America’s Most Powerful Players Under 40.”
With the NTC’s NASCAR Exhibit (see page 27) on display at selected Nextel Cup
races, we’re pleased to share our pride in all Chrysler Group products and the workers
who build them. We invite you to explore the exhibit or a dealer showroom in your
hometown and see for yourself why we’re charged up about our future.
UAW-DaimlerChrysler
Joint Activities Board
UAW-DAIMLERCHRYSLER
NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER
2211 East Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, MI 48207
313.567.3300
Fax: 313.567.4971
E-mail: rrussell@ucntc.org
www.uawdcx.com
THE UAW-DAIMLERCHRYSLER
NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER
operates under the auspices of the
UAW-DaimlerChrysler
Joint Activities Board.
RON RUSSELL
Communications Administrator
BOB ERICKSON
Communications Specialist
TANISHA PEREZ
Senior Staff Writer
MICHAEL BULLER
Editor
KAREN ENGLISH
Executive Editor
MEGHAN LITTLE
Senior Managing Editor
DAVID PLUNKETT
Copy Editor
JAMEE FARINELLA
Art Director
JAIME JANKOWSKI
Production Manager
MARK EGAN
Account Supervisor
This magazine is printed by a union
printer on union-made recycled paper.
2 www.uawdcx.com