Archive for February, 2018

SIX FORD DRIVERS PREPARE FOR THE CLASH AT DAYTONA

Posted on: February 7th, 2018
Location: post

DAYTONA BEACH, FL, February 7, 2018 – The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season gets started this weekend with The Clash at Daytona International Speedway. This non-points event features pole-winners from the 2017 season, along with former Clash winners, former Daytona 500 pole-winners who competed full-time last year, and playoff qualifiers from a season ago. This event has been run in one form or another since 1979. Ford has won The Clash at Daytona eight times by six different drivers

WHO’S IN?

There are six Ford drivers who will compete in The Clash, including all three Team Penske drivers in Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano.  Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick will be the Stewart-Haas Racing participants while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. carries the Roush Fenway Racing banner.

LOGANO GOING FOR TWO STRAIGHT

Joey Logano snapped a 13-year Ford winless drought when he won The Clash last year, making him the manufacturer’s first victor since Dale Jarrett in 2004. Logano found himself in the right place at the right time to take the win.  This was Logano’s first Clash win of  his career.  Four Ford drivers finished in the top six spots as Danica Patrick was fourth, Kevin Harvick fifth and Keselowski sixth.

ELLIOTT CLAIMS FORD’S FIRST CLASH VICTORY AT DAYTONA

Bill Elliott became the first Ford driver to win a non-points event in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on Feb. 8, 1987 in what was then known as the Busch Clash.  The format that year was a single 20-lap run (50 miles) with no pit stop required.  Elliott, who started on the pole in his No. 9 Coors Thunderbird after a blind draw, fell back to sixth on the start after Terry Labonte and Ricky Rudd were involved in an accident on the first lap.  On the ensuing restart, Elliott steadily reeled in leader Darrell Waltrip and passed him on lap eight.  Elliott led the final 13 laps and won with an average speed of 197.802 mph, a record that still stands for the event.  A week later, Elliott won his second Daytona 500.

DJ HOLDS OFF JR FOR SHOOTOUT TRIUMPH

Dale Jarrett won his third Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 7, 2004 in his No. 88 UPS Taurus, which represents the last time Ford has won the event.  The race was broken up into two segments – an initial 20-lap run followed by a 50-lapper to the finish – and marked the beginning of Nextel as series sponsor.  Jarrett and Kevin Harvick were side-by-side at the white flag, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. gave Jarrett the push he needed to complete the pass on the outside going through turn one.  The race finished under green with Jarrett holding off Earnhardt Jr. for the win.

FORD’S CLASH AT DAYTONA WINNERS

1987 – Bill Elliott

1992 – Geoffrey Bodine

1996 – Dale Jarrett

1998 – Rusty Wallace

1999 – Mark Martin

2000 – Dale Jarrett

2004 – Dale Jarrett

2017 – Joey Logano

*Courtesy Ford Performance

VIDEO | 2018 MENCS ENGINE RULE CHANGES

Posted on: February 10th, 2018
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC, February 9, 2018 –

In 2017, NASCAR announced new Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series engine rules which would be implemented starting with the 2018 Daytona Clash.  This video reviews the new 2018 MENCS engine rules. Catch all the action of the Daytona Clash on February 11th at 3:00 PM ET on FS1.

DAYTONA CLASH | FORD FUSIONS FINISH 1-2-3-4!

Posted on: February 12th, 2018
Location: post

DAYTONA BEACH, FL, February 12, 2018 – Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Ford Fusion won his first Speedweeks’ race at Daytona International Speedway, winning the Advance Auto Parts Clash for Team Penske in his sixth Clash start. Ford Performance made history becoming the first manufacturer to finish 1,2,3 and 4 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Clash event.“Congratulations to Brad, Roger and Team Penske,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “This was a great way to start off the season opener at Daytona. The teams have worked hard in the off season to get ready for the 2018 season and it was great to see the Fords finish so strong.”

The six Ford’s ran strong from the start of the race with the Ford FR9 EFI engines under the hoods. Keselowski drove a fantastic race, coming from the rear of the field and with a two tire strategy call by Crew Chief, Paul Wolfe, took the lead on lap 39. Keselowski led 43 out of the 75 lap race.

“Doug Yates and his guys did a good job giving me something real durable to take all that and keep digging,” Keselowski commented in Victory Lane. “I am really proud of the whole effort here. What a way to start Speedweeks, putting the Miller Lite Ford in Victory Lane. I am really proud of my team.”

Keselowski and Team Penske Joey Logano (2017 Clash winner) finished 1-2, while the 2017 Daytona winner Kurt Busch from Stewart-Haas Racing finished P3. Rounding out the forth spot was the newest Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney. Kevin Harvick finished P9 and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. from Roush Fenway Racing finished sixteenth after serving a late race penalty for racing below the yellow line.
The Ford teams will take this momentum into the Can-Am Twin Duels and the Daytona 500 later this week. Reference the full 2018 schedule on www.roushyates.com.
14 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 315 WINS – 282 POLES!

FORD LOOKS TO CONTINUE RESTRICTOR PLATE DOMINANCE IN DAYTONA 500

Posted on: February 13th, 2018
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC, February 13, 2018 –When it comes to racing at Daytona and Talladega in recent years no manufacturer has had more success than Ford, which goes into this year’s Daytona 500 with a seven-race restrictor plate winning streak (not counting Brad Keselowski’s victory in Sunday’s Clash).  And while anything can happen when cars are running two and three-wide at speeds around 200 miles per hour, the confidence level for extending it in 2018 is high.

“I think Doug Yates and his engines are the best superspeedway engines,” said Kurt Busch, who won last year’s Daytona 500 in Stewart-Haas Racing’s debut event with Ford and his first with the manufacturer since 2005.  “Ford seems to have the least amount of drag and with that comes the least amount of downforce. That means we will run well at Daytona and Talladega.  We swept the restrictor plate races last year and I don’t see that changing right now.”

And while that may sound like a bold statement, consider that Ford’s run of dominance hasn’t just been over the last two years.  Since Trevor Bayne took the Wood Brothers to Victory Lane in the 2011 Daytona 500, Ford has won 16 of the 28 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events at Daytona and Talladega.

“I believe statistics don’t lie,” said Kevin Harvick, who won the Daytona 500 in 2007.  “I think speedway racing is an effort and when you look at the effort it’s not just an engine or just a body, it’s a total effort and I feel like the effort is high just from what we stepped into when we came to Ford.”

Eight different drivers representing six organizations have registered at least one win during the stretch, including four first-time winners — Bayne, David Ragan, Aric Almirola and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — proving that there is strength throughout the Ford program.

“All of our teams work hard and it’s been nice to see each of them get rewarded for that through the years,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance.  “We take a great deal of pride in the fact that we have multiple organizations capable of winning on any given week and the Daytona 500 is obviously one everybody wants.  We’d like nothing better than to see that streak get to eight.”

The one common denominator in all these wins has been under the hood as Roush Yates Engines continues its legacy of being a restrictor plate king.  Since Robert Yates and Jack Roush merged their engine operations in 2004, the group has won the Daytona 500 five times and has posted 20 series victories at Daytona and Talladega.

“It started early on with my dad.  He always loved going to Daytona because this is our Super Bowl.  If you’re involved in NASCAR, you want to be successful at Daytona and Talladega, so we’ve always worked hard at that,” said Doug Yates, chief executive officer, Roush Yates Engines.  “The wins we’ve had in the 500 show that we take it seriously, but it’s always about the next one.  We don’t think about the stats very much, we just think about the next race and work hard to be better than we were the last one.  That’s worked well for us, but we’ve got to keep going because those guys are coming after us.”

One driver who will likely be viewed as a favorite based off his two wins from a year ago is Stenhouse, who will be starting his sixth full season driving at the Cup level for car owner Jack Roush.

“I feel a lot more confident going into the 500 than I ever have,” said Stenhouse, who won the spring race at Talladega and the July Daytona event.  “I always went into the 500 thinking, ‘Hey, let’s get off to a good start.  Let’s have a good points race.’  I never thought about winning the 500.  After last season, I feel like going in that is the only goal that we have is to win and not just to get a good finish out of it.”

 

Another is Busch, who got a helpful push from Ryan Blaney to pass Kyle Larson on the final lap to win last year’s season-opener.

“To me, I feel more pressure because I want to defend it properly. I want to go back-to-back. I want to bring it home again for Monster, Ford and everybody at Stewart-Haas,” he said.  “You give it that same attention to detail that you give Daytona every year. If you have won it or you haven’t, you still go after it hard.”

The Daytona 500 is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 18 at 2:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)

FORD’S RESTRICTOR PLATE WINS SINCE 2011 (Points races only)
Feb. 20, 2011 – Trevor Bayne (Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway)
July 2, 2011 – David Ragan (Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway)
Feb. 27, 2012 – Matt Kenseth (Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway)
Oct. 7, 2012 – Matt Kenseth (Good Sam 500, Talladega Superspeedway)
May 5, 2013 – David Ragan (Aaron’s 399, Talladega Superspeedway)
July 6, 2014 – Aric Almirola (Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway)
Oct. 19, 2014 – Brad Keselowski (Geico 500, Talladega Superspeedway)
Feb. 22, 2015 – Joey Logano (Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway)
Oct. 25, 2015 – Joey Logano (CampingWorld.com 500, Talladega Superspeedway)
May 1, 2016 – Brad Keselowski (Geico 500, Talladega Superspeedway)
July 2, 2016 – Brad Keselowski (Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway)
Oct. 23, 2016 – Joey Logano (Hellman’s 500, Talladega Superspeedway)
Feb. 26, 2017 – Kurt Busch (Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway)
May 7, 2017 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Geico 500, Talladega Superspeedway)
July 1, 2017 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Coke Zero 400, Daytona International Speedway)
Oct. 15, 2017 – Brad Keselowski (Alabama 500, Talladega Superspeedway)

* Courtesy Ford Performance 

NIKON METROLOGY & ROUSH YATES ENGINES ANNOUNCE TECH PARTNERSHIP

Posted on: February 22nd, 2018
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC, February 22, 2018 – Roush Yates Engines and Nikon Metrology (Brighton, MI) announced a multi-year partnership program, demonstrating Roush Yates Engines’ commitment to partnering with the best-in-class companies. With over a 100 years of experience Nikon provides world-class precision equipment and metrology solutions to the manufacturing, aerospace, automotive and medical fields.

“We are proud to have Nikon as our new partner,” said Doug Yates, President & CEO, Roush Yates Engines. “We are always looking for partners that are at the top of their class. The Nikon brand is one built on innovation and quality. Their premium CMM equipment is world-class and a perfect fit for Roush Yates Engines.”

“We are very excited to be partnering with one of the most respected engine builders in the motor sports industry,” adds Andy Stults, Marketing and Communications Manager at Nikon Metrology. “Roush Yates Engines provide the highest performance and most reliable engines for teams at the racetrack, as their winning record proves. The parts in their engines require the utmost precision and quality in order to meet performance demands. We greatly value this partnership with Roush Yates Engines and are proud that our technology is helping ensure they continue to meet their need for high-performance, high-reliability components.”

Nikon’s LC15Dx Laser Scanner provides a unique 3D visualization of dimensional quality using Color Mapping. In addition, Nikon’s unique ESP3 technology maintains accuracy, speed and data quality by adapting the laser settings in real-time, improving efficiency and part quality data accuracy. “These advanced capabilities allow our team the ability to measure and analyze a larger array of parts, each with varying geometry and materials, with a single piece of equipment,” said Chad Johnson, Roush Yates Engines Quality Manager.

“In addition, Nikon’s CMM Manager software, provided for all of Roush Yates Engines CMM’s will save considerably on programming time,” Johnson added.

The iNEXIV Vision System was also added to the Roush Yates Engines lineup of inspection equipment. This CNC video measuring system is ideal for both large and tall mechanical parts and uneven surfaces, in addition to providing a broader XYZ measurement range, which is ideal for analyzing complex geometry engine components.

About Nikon 
Nikon Metrology offers the most complete and innovative metrology product portfolio, including state-of-the-art vision measuring instruments complemented with optical inspection and mechanical 3D metrology solutions. These reliable and innovative products respond to the advanced inspection requirements of manufacturers active in consumer, automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical and other industries. Nikon celebrated its 100th year anniversary in 2017 as a pioneer in optical technology development and product innovation. For more information, visit www.nikonmetrology.com. Product-related inquiries may be directed to Nikon Metrology, Inc. at (800) 552-6648 or sales.nm-us@nikon.com.

FORD DRIVER LINEUP FOR THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS ANNOUNCED

Posted on: February 24th, 2018
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC, February 24, 2018 – Ford Chip Ganassi Racing has announced the 12 drivers who will race the four Ford GTs at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this summer.

*Courtesy Ford Performance

HARVICK SWEEPS ATLANTA

Posted on: February 26th, 2018
Location: post

HAMPTON, GA, February 26, 2018 – Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 won back-2-back races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and recorded Stewart-Haas Racing’s 40th points win. Harvick in his Ford Fusion won his second career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta, with Ford teammates, Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer sweeping the top three spots in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

“Congratulations to Kevin, Stewart-Haas and the entire Ford organization,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “I’m so happy for Kevin, this was a great way to finish the weekend. We are honored to partner with Ford to power these Ford Fusions.”

“I’m just so proud of everybody on our team,” Harvick commented. “That was the first win in my career and to be able to do that and pay tribute to Dale was pretty cool. I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.  We’ve had so many days where we could do that here, but I just want to thank everybody who puts this car on the race track and for five years it’s been so fast at this particular race track and a lot of other ones. I love racing here and it’s good to be back in Victory Lane finally.”

Harvick with the Ford FR9 horsepower under the hood of the Ford Fusion dominated the race by leading 181 out of the 325 lap race and recorded a new track record for total laps led (1,152). After winning Stage 1, the race came down to a 22 lap shootout between Harvick and Keselowski. Lined up side-by-side on the front row, Harvick launched the No. 4 on the restart and never looked back until he took the checkered flag, finishing 2.690 seconds ahead of Keselowski to take home his first Cup win at Atlanta since 2001. “Harvick was in a league of his own today,” commented Keselowski.

Joining Harvick, Keselowski and Bowyer in the top-10 were Joey Logano in P6 and Kurt Busch in P8.

 

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Harvick drove the No. 98 Ford Mustang to win the first NASCAR Xfinity Series race for new team partners Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste in the Rinnai 250. Ford teammate, Joey Logano in the No. 22 made it a 1-2 finish on the 1.5-mile track.

Harvick, starting in the fifth position took control of the race early on by winning Stage 1 and Stage 2. Harvick seemed to be on cruise control, putting the 98 in the right spot at the right time with perfect execution to lead 141 laps out of the 163 lap race, recording his fifth career NXS win at Atlanta.

Four Fords finished in the top-10. Harvick and Logano were followed by Team Penske teammate Austin Cindric in P7 and Ryan Reed from Roush Fenway Racing in P10.

The Ford teams will ride this momentum out west to Las Vegas this weekend.

14 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 317 WINS – 282 POLES!