NASCAR Jasper's use of Dodge is no-no to Ford

Driver Dave Blaney is being dropped from promotions by the automaker.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Ford Racing has terminated its contract with Jasper Motorsports because the team competed at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend in a Dodge.
The automaker said Wednesday it was repossessing all its equipment from the No. 77 team immediately and would cease using driver Dave Blaney in promotions.
"What happened at Talladega was unacceptable," said Greg Specht, manager of Ford Racing Operations. "To be a Ford team, you have to run a Ford."
Warned
Jasper co-owner Mark Harrah said Wednesday he called Specht prior to Talladega to inform Ford the team was considering using a Dodge.
He said he was warned it would be a breach of contract, but Harrah said the minimal support Jasper receives from Ford did not outweigh the benefits the team thought it would receive from running a Dodge.
"The tangibles stated within the Ford contract were not enough to influence our decision," Harrah said. "We were forced to look out for our sponsor. We took a chance in hopes to run more competitively and it paid off. It was our best finish at a superspeedway since February 2001."
Blaney, of Hartford, finished 17th Sunday at Talladega using the Dodge Intrepid.
Jasper can still run Fords this season because a team owns its race cars. But Ford spokesman Kevin Kennedy said the team would receive no assistance from the automaker.
"They are welcome to run a Taurus, but our engineering guys and aero guys will no longer be available to them," Kennedy said. "If they go up to an aero guy at the track and ask for some help, they will now be turned away."
Ford is also taking back any loaner vehicles Jasper has -- vans the team has to transport crew members, the truck that brings the race cars to the track and any personal cars the team is using.
Formal notification
Kennedy said Ford gave the team formal notification they were in breach of contract last weekend when they pulled a Dodge out at the track.
Blaney has five top-10s this season and is 28th in the points standings.
Should he win a race this season in a Taurus, Kennedy said Blaney and his team would not receive any contingency bonus from the manufacturer. Ford is also dropping Blaney from all its ads and promotions.
It's not the first time this season a manufacturer has ended its relationship with a team.
Dodge Motorsports pulled support from Bill Davis Racing in June, alleging in a lawsuit that Davis had been helping Toyota in its preparation to enter NASCAR next season.
Davis has continued running Dodges this year, although he now has to pay for his own equipment and gets no manufacturer support.