The IndyCar field surprised Robert Wickens with an early 30th birthday celebration before Sunday's race at St. Petersburg.
Wickens is at a track for the first time since he suffered a spinal cord injury in an August race. He turns 30 on Wednesday.
Wickens was surprised before the morning warmup when all 24 drivers in Sunday's race greeted him in the paddock and sang "Happy Birthday to You" as he was surrounded by gold balloons.
Auto Racing legend Mario Andretti,left, talks with Robert Wickens at the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race in St. Petersburg, Fla. Friday, March 8, 2019. Wickens returned to a race track for the first time since he suffered a major spinal cord injury in a crash six months ago. (Dirk ShaddTampa Bay Times via AP)
Wickens made his IndyCar debut in last year's race at St. Pete, won the pole and led all but the final two laps. He was spun before the finish and denied the victory. He missed the final three races of the season after his accident at Pocono but still won rookie of the year honors.
Wickens has insisted he will walk and race cars again, and his immediate goal is dancing at his September wedding. He participated at St. Pete in the driver autograph session and had an appearance at a fan event, but he used social media to ask well-wishers to stop patting him on the back because of nerve sensitivity.
"The support from the fans and the IndyCar community is incredible, however I would like to take the time to just mention that I still have nerve pain from the incisions, and would really appreciate it if people could stop patting me on the back and just simply wave hello!" he wrote. "I love chatting and meeting you all, but my back is very tender. A wave is much appreciated."
Auto Racing legend Mario Andretti, left, talks with Robert Wickens at the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg auto race in St. Petersburg, Fla., Friday, March 8, 2019. Wickens returned to a race track for the first time since he suffered a major spinal cord injury in a crash six months ago. (Dirk ShaddTampa Bay Times via AP)
More AP IndyCar coverage: https://apnews.com/IndyCar
DETROIT (AP) — Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Ram and Dodge brands and the unofficial voice of American muscle cars, is retiring after nearly 32 years with Stellantis.
The announcement Friday comes as Stellantis struggles with U.S. sales as it begins the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles. Through April, its sales were down 14.1% while the industry as a whole saw a 3.1% increase, according to Motorintelligence.com.
For years Kuniskis was the spokesman for high-performance American cars, introducing many powerful models including last year's 1,025 horsepower Challenger SRT Demon 170.
But in March, Kuniskis led the unveiling of two battery-powered versions of the Charger muscle car, while keeping one gas-powered version of the Charger without a big Hemi V8.
Recently Kuniskis was CEO of both the Dodge and Ram brands. He’ll be replaced at Ram by Chris Feuell, who will take on Ram in addition to her duties leading the Chrysler brand.
Matt McAlear will become Dodge brand CEO. He led Dodge sales and has broad automotive experience, the company said in a statement.
Both brands are struggling with Dodge phasing out the old versions of the gas powered Charger and Challenger as it moves to electric vehicles. Dodge sales through April are down more than 17%. The brand also is selling the Hornet small SUV made in Italy, but it hasn't caught on.
Ram sales are down over 29% so far this year as a Michigan factory is retooled to build an updated full-size pickup.
Kuniskis' passion and vision for the Dodge brand will be a loss, but someone else at Stellantis may be able to take over, said S&P Global analyst Stephanie Brinley.
“Dodge muscle car future is going through change, regardless of who is at the helm," Brinley said in an email. “Success will still come to product execution and whether the vision for the Dodge brand aligns with how customers see the brand. It wouldn’t be wise to presume no one else can champion the brand.”
At a March event in Detroit showing off the new electric Chargers, Kuniskis also exhibited a gas-fueled Charger powered by a new 3-liter six-cylinder engine with two turbochargers. A high-output version will have 550 horsepower.
Kuniskis defended keeping the gasoline version and said the electric muscle cars, which will roar like gas-engine vehicles, will emphasize performance over efficiency.
Under normal circumstance, he said, about 17 million vehicles are sold annually in the U.S. “You know what? People need choices,” he said.
Kuniskis said he would expect criticism from environmental groups if Dodge had not come out with electric versions of the Charger.
“It’s designed for performance and it has low range, but it’s still a battery electric vehicle. They’re going to hate on that? Seems kind of odd,” he said.
Globally, Stellantis' first quarter global vehicle shipments fell 10% from a year ago to 1.34 million, and revenue dropped 12% to 41.7 billion euros ($44.8 billion).
The company blamed the revenue dip on lower sales as it manages production and inventory while launching 25 new models this year, including 18 electric vehicles. Chief Financial Officer Natalie Knight said Stellantis believes the new models will bring “materially improved growth and profitability in the second half."
FILE - Tim Kuniskis, head of Dodge Brand talks about the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept before its unveiling on Aug. 17, 2022, in Pontiac, Mich. Kuniskis, the unofficial voice of American muscle cars, is retiring from Stellantis after nearly 32 years with the company. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
FILE - Tim Kuniskis talks about the company's Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept during its unveiling, Aug. 17, 2022, in Pontiac, Mich. Kuniskis, CEO of the Ram and Dodge brands and the unofficial voice of American muscle cars, is retiring from Stellantis after nearly 32 years with the company. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
