Auburn Hills, Mich., Nov 10, 2003 -It was a weekend that started strong for Dodge, thanks to Ryan Newman recording the manufacturer's 12th NASCAR Winston Cup pole of the year. And for Dodge fans, it just kept getting better.

Before it was over, Jamie McMurray drove away with a Dodge victory in Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series race, and Bill Elliott notched the 44th win of his career -- and the ninth for Dodge this season -- by driving his No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Intrepid to victory lane at Sunday's Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 in Rockingham, N.C.

Elliott began his NASCAR Winston Cup career with a 33rd-place finish at Rockinham's North Carolina Speedway in 1976. On Sunday, the 48-year-old driver from Dawsonville, Ga., led five times for 140 laps en route to victory. His Evernham Motorsports teammate, Jeremy Mayfield, led 96 laps in his No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Intrepid before recording a third-place finish. Newman emerged as the third Dodge driver in the top five with a fifth-place finish in his No. 12 ALLTEL Dodge Intrepid, moving to fourth in the series standings.

Elliott's victory moved Dodge to second place in the NASCAR Winston Cup manufacturers' standings. With one race remaining in the season, Dodge has 199 points and nine victories, followed by Ford with 197 points and seven wins, and Pontiac with 119 points and one win. Chevrolet has already clinched the title.

Dodge also put three Intrepids in the top five in Saturday's Target House 200 NASCAR Busch Series race. McMurray scored the win, with Mayfield finishing fourth and rookie David Stremme fifth.

Also on Saturday, Evernham Motorsports No. 9 Dodge crew won the Union 76 World Pit Crew Competition, completing a four-tire and two-fuel can pit stop in a record 16.725 seconds.