Totally forgot how much the Charger changed as well from the announcement to hitting the track. I remember the really a Taurus joke, was funny with each version it lost more of the Intrepid styling cues and just became a knock off Ford. lol I wonder why Dodge didn't have more success.....lol I do remember Petty at the time told Dodge they were killing them with all the changes from year to year. Basically, had to start all over every year and was one of the reasons they ran the 2004 car in 2006 until Dodge stopped it. Even the COT they started with the Avenger so basically every year they were changing things. lol
I guess it is no wonder none of the Dodge teams could find long-term sustained success. Usually the Dodge teams would have 1 car running well, maybe 2 if the team had a good year.
The best Dodge had sustained success wise was probably Penske, and even then they didn't win a title until they had already announced leaving the manufacture and immediately the first year of running Fords they were a legitimate powerhouse. Still, easily the closest Dodge had to a regular title threat.
Outside of Penske, Ganassi's #40 was good the first 2 years, then the #42 was solid, but could never get all teams firing on the same level.
Evernham the same, only in 2005 did the #19 outrun the #9, and outside of 2004 usually one car was a dud(Usually the #19), the #10 never amounted to anything beyond a few solid runs with Riggs in it's first year, and from 2007 onwards they basically regressed to just being "there" outside of occasional Kahne heroics.
Bill Davis decided to leak secrets to Toyota, and that basically ended them there and then, not really much Dodge could do there.
And Petty never really got anything going outside of a few decent years with Andretti/Labonte in the #43 and Kyle Petty's oddly good 2002 season, which considering one of the drivers they built the program around tragically passed away, they were rattled before they even started.
Dodge's second stint in NASCAR really is a large what-if, and the more you look at it, the less they seemed to have thier ducks in a row, despite the "all together as one" method they used when building the program. Several teams and drivers that coulda and maybe shoulda been champions under thier reign, but never to be. (2002 Marlin, 2003 Newman, 2006 Kahne, to name a few I can think of that had speed to win the title, but were derailed by inconsitency or injuries)