DAYTONA, FL, January 9, 2018 – The Ford Mustang GT4s made their 2018 debut this past weekend at the Roar Before the Rolex 24. Ford NASCAR drivers Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Cole Custer and Ty Majeski got their first chance to jump behind the wheel of the Mustang GT4 to prepare for the upcoming Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race on January 26th.

No. 15 – Drivers: Scott Maxwell / Cole Custer / Ty Majeski

No. 22 – Drivers: Austin Cindric / Chase Briscoe

No. 8 – Drivers: Chad McCumbee / Patrick Gallagher

No. 59 – Drivers: Jack Roush Jr. / Joey Atterbury

No. 80 – Drivers: Martin Barkey / Brett Sanderg

Rounding out the Ford Mustang GT4 drivers will be Nate Stacy / Kyle Marcelli in the No. 60 and Alan Brynjolfsson / Trent Hindman in the No. 7.

*Photos Courtesy of Ford Performance

MOORESVILLE, NC, April 27, 2018 – Ford has been the King of the Restrictor Plate Tracks in recent years and comes into this weekend’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event having won five straight and six of the last seven races run at Talladega Superspeedway. Overall, Ford has won 16 of the last 29 races at Daytona and Talladega, including its first sweep of the four events in the 2017 season. Here’s a closer look at some of those results through the years.

 FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT TALLADEGA

• Ford has 26 all-time series wins at Talladega, including 8 of the last 11.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, David Ragan, Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer all have series wins at Talladega.
• NASCAR Hall of Famer Bud Moore helped Buddy Baker win three straight series races (1975-76), becoming the first to do that in Talladega history.

 FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT TALLADEGA

• Ford has 6 series wins at Talladega
• The first Ford victory in the series was by Chad Little, who currently works for NASCAR, in 1995.
• Mark Martin, David Ragan and Joey Logano have MENCS and NXS wins at Talladega with Ford.

FORD LEADS THE RESTRICTOR PLATE PACK

Even though Ford saw its seven-race restrictor plate winning streak come to an end in the Daytona 500, a race in which Aric Almirola was half-a-lap away from victory, no manufacturer has dominated the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega in recent years more than Ford.

• The Blue Oval has won 16 of the last 29 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events at Daytona and Talladega combined.
• Ford is coming off its first restrictor plate season sweep after winning all four events in 2017.
• Ford has won five straight MENCS events at Talladega.
• In addition, Ford has won six of the last seven and eight of the last 11 at the track.
• Eight different drivers have taken a Fusion to Victory Lane since 2011 and here is the complete list:

DATE – DRIVER (RACE)

• 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)

TEAM PENSKE ROLLING AT TALLADEGA

Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski have combined to win 5 of the last 7 MENCS races at Talladega Superspeedway with Keselowski winning three times and Logano twice.  Keselowski won the Playoff race last Fall, making him the winningest active driver at the track with five while Logano won in back-to-back seasons (2015-16).

STENHOUSE WINS FIRST CUP RACE

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. passed Kyle Busch on the final lap and to win the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of his career and give Ford a sweep of this event weekend at Talladega one year ago.  In a race that saw eight caution flags, including a red flag that lasted nearly 27 minutes after an 18-car accident, Stenhouse found himself on the outside of the front row with Busch for an overtime restart. Busch jumped out to the lead, but Stenhouse got a run and then used that momentum to dart to the inside and make the decisive pass. The win capped off a weekend that saw Stenhouse win the pole and Ford capture both races after Aric Almirola won the NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday.

WINNING IN THE CLUTCH

Needing a win to advance in the Playoffs, Brad Keselowski did exactly that in winning the Geico 500 on Oct. 19, 2014. The win was Keselowski’s sixth of the season, most for any driver in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season and enabled him to move into the next round. Keselowski got a push from Penske teammate Joey Logano on the final green-white-checker restart and held off Matt Kenseth for the win.

ROUND OF 12 SWEEP

Joey Logano made history in 2015 when he came to Talladega Superspeedway and completed a three-race Round of 12 sweep by surviving a green-white-checker finish to win the CampingWorld.com 500. Logano became the first driver to sweep an entire round in only the second year of the format and won for the sixth time in 2015. In order to do it, he had to survive an aborted green-white-checker restart and then the official restart after it was determined by NASCAR that the original attempt had not gone green before an accident back in the pack occurred. The cars lined up again and shortly after Logano passed the start-finish line, a multi-car wrecked ensued that involved Kevin Harvick, who was having engine issues which brought the caution out and gave Logano the win.

 BAKER PROVIDES MOORE SUCCESS

The first time Ford went to victory lane at Talladega Superspeedway was May 4, 1975 when Buddy Baker, driving for Hall of Fame car owner Bud Moore, held off David Pearson on the final lap. The win was Baker’s ninth career victory and came after he took the lead with 18 laps to go. One of the key decisions in getting Baker to the checkered flag first came when his team opted for two tires on its final pit stop of the day while Pearson and the Wood Brothers decided on gas only.  Even though Pearson steadily gained ground on the final lap, Baker was able to hold on by half a car length to win. That started a streak which saw Baker and Moore win three straight Talladega races.

DAVEY ALLISON’S FIRST WIN

Ford has had many milestone moments at Talladega Superspeedway, including the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win for the late Davey Allison, who won the Winston 500 on May 3, 1987. The race came down to a restart with 10 laps to go in which Allison found himself behind Dale Earnhardt in the outside lane. Earnhardt bolted to the lead when the green flew, and Allison tucked in right behind him through turns one and two.  As they came off the second corner, Allison went to the inside and easily passed Earnhardt for what proved to be the winning pass. Terry Labonte ended up finishing second with Earnhardt third.  Allison went on to win 19 NSCS races, including three at Talladega.

ROBERT YATES RACING’S FINAL WIN

When Dale Jarrett won the UAW-Ford 500 on Oct. 2, 2005 it ended up being the final trip to victory lane for Robert Yates Racing. This race came down to a green-white-checker restart, where Jarrett was positioned fourth.  He was still in that spot when they came around to start the final lap, but quickly moved to the outside as Tony Stewart grabbed the lead on the inside lane. The two drivers battled side-by-side down the backstretch before Jarrett powered his way in front.  Seconds after getting the lead, Kyle Petty was involved in a single-car accident that brought out the caution as the cars entered turn three. Jarrett was declared the winner after NASCAR verified that he was in front at the time the yellow flag was thrown. The win was RYR’s 57th triumph in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and came six years after the team won its only championship with Jarrett in 1999.

DAVID RAGAN’S SURPRISE VICTORY

And then there was David Ragan, who became the 11^th driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway when he took the checkered flag in the 2013 Aaron’s 499. The win was his second series victory and first for Front Row Motorsports, and it ended in typical Talladega fashion. As the cars came to the white flag it was Carl Edwards in the lead while Ragan was fifth and tucked in the middle lane behind Aric Almirola. When Almirola moved to the high side, it enabled Ragan and teammate David Gilliland to work together and push their way forward. The duo was behind Edwards off turn two, but they made their move to the inside on the backstretch and made what proved to be the decisive pass.

FORD’S MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP WINNERS AT TALLADEGA

• 1975 – Buddy Baker*
• 1976 – Buddy Baker (1)
• 1979 – Bobby Allison (1)
• 1983 – Dale Earnhardt (2)
• 1985 – Bill Elliott and Cale Yarborough
• 1987 – Davey Allison and Bill Elliott
• 1989 – Davey Allison and Terry Labonte
• 1992 – Davey Allison (1)
• 1994 – Jimmy Spencer (2)
• 1995 – Mark Martin (1)
• 1997 – Mark Martin (1)
• 1998 – Dale Jarrett (2)
• 2005 – Dale Jarrett (2)
• 2009 – Jamie McMurray (2)
• 2012 – Matt Kenseth (2)
• 2013 – David Ragan (1)
• 2014 – Brad Keselowski (2)
• 2015 – Joey Logano (2)
• 2016 – Brad Keselowski (1)
• 2016 – Joey Logano (2)
• 2017 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (1) and Brad Keselowski (2)

*Denotes season sweep

*Content and images courtesy of Ford Performance

Le Mans – June 14, 2018 – After a successful test on the Circuit de la Sarthe just over a week ago, the Ford GTs of Ford Chip Ganassi Racing took to the legendary Le Mans track for real today, putting four cars through a four-hour Free Practice Session and then a late-night, two-hour provisional qualifying session.

In the first of three qualifying sessions, the GTs qualified 3rd, 4th, 8th and 10th in the very strong 17-car GTE Pro Class. Leading the team was the No. 66 Ford GT of Billy Johnson (USA), Stefan Mücke (DEU) and Olivier Pla (FRA), who managed a 3:49.191 lap during the cool evening. The trio won the season-opening FIA WEC race at Spa in May.

The No. 68 of Joey Hand (USA), Sébastien Bourdais (FRA) and Dirk Müller (DEU) was just a tick behind their teammates at 3:49.582 as the team looks to repeat its 2016 class victory here. Bourdais, a native of Le Mans, returns after a one-year absence due to injuries in practice for the 2017 Indianapolis 500.

This evening’s qualifying followed today’s afternoon practice session that saw the cars go 4th (No. 66), 8^th (No. 68), 9th (No. 69) and 10^th (No. 67). Quickest time for the Ford GT during practice was 3:51.498.

The No. 67 team is made up of IndyCar star Tony Kanaan (BRA), Andy Priaulx (GBR) and Harry Tincknell (GBR). The No. 69 team includes 2018 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTLM champions Ryan Briscoe (AUS), Richard Westbrook (GBR) and Scott Dixon (NZL).

The teams return to the track this evening for two more, two-hour qualifying sessions at 19:00 (1:00pm – 3:00pm EST) hours and 22:00 (4:00pm-6:00pm EST) hours.

*Courtesy of Ford Performance

GREATWORTH, U.K. – The 2018-19 WEC Super Season resumes this weekend and the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team is ready to continue the fight for top honours in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Round 3 takes place at the world-famous Silverstone Circuit, just a few miles from Greatworth Park where the team is based, making this the home event.

The team expected fierce competition in the GTE Pro class at Le Mans and that is precisely what they got.

“The competition in GTE Pro is exceptionally strong – we saw that at Spa and Le Mans,” said team principal George Howard-Chappell. “The guys with the new cars are sure to be improving and we already know how competitive Porsche and Ferrari are. We booked a test a month before the race and were joined by two of the other manufacturers, so at least three of us have an idea of what to expect given the new track surface. Ideally we would like to continue the winning streak that our sister team in the USA have been having but let’s see. We will be going flat out for sure and I’m confident the track layout suits our car.”

The #66 Ford GT of Stefan Mücke (GER), Olivier Pla (FRA) and Billy Johnson (US) came out on top of the Ford WEC runners at Le Mans, with a sixth place finish earning them the points for a third place finish in the WEC standings. With a win in the opening round at Spa, Mücke and Pla are now in second place in the Driver’s Championship battle, just eight points behind the leaders. Now that Le Mans is done for 2018, both #66 and #67 drop to the usual two-driver crews for the next few races.

“It was important for us to take as many points as possible at Le Mans,” Mücke said. “The competition was very strong, especially from Porsche, so I’m pleased that we are in second with everything to fight for. Our target is to win the championship so we need to keep scoring maximum points and a win at Silverstone would be particularly special for the team as it is the home race.

“Silverstone has always been the first round in the past so it’s good to go and race there in the summer this time. We tested there a few weeks ago and the circuit has new asphalt, which is going to make it very interesting. Everything you learnt about the track in the past, forget it! There is a lot more grip, which is a good thing, but it is also very aggressive asphalt so tyre management will be crucial this weekend if we want to stay in the game.”

Andy Priaulx (GB), Harry Tincknell (GB) and Tony Kanaan (BRA) took a hard fought fourth place in class at Le Mans but were demoted after the race due to a driving time infringement. The British duo, who won the 2017 WEC round at Silverstone, are eager to collect a good haul of points this weekend.

“A repeat of last year when we took pole position, fastest lap and the win, would be very nice,” Tincknell said. “We’ve had a tough start to our season. We were going well at Spa until the accident and then we had a good race at Le Mans, fighting hard all the way through with no issues other than a short fill which took us out of contention for third and then the post-race penalty. It means we are well down the championship table so we need to just go for outright wins now, hopefully starting at Silverstone. We had a great test there not long ago and we look reasonably strong. This race is going to be all about tyre life due to the combination of the new abrasive surface and the high speed nature of Silverstone. With only four sets of tyres for six hours of racing that is going to be the key. The Ford GT has good aero efficiency and we look after our tyres well so hopefully that’s an advantage for us. Let’s hope the home support will cheer us on to another win.”

*Courtesy Ford Performance

FORT WORTH, TX – October 31, 2018 – All three of NASCAR’s top touring series will be in action this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway as the Playoffs hit high gear in the next-to-last round.  Here’s a look at where Ford drivers stand going into each event, in addition to some memorable Cup moments through the years.

ROUND OF 8 MENCS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Phoenix)
1st – Joey Logano (locked in to Championship 4)
4th – Kevin Harvick (+25 ahead of cutoff)
5th – Kurt Busch (-25 from final transfer spot)
7th – Clint Bowyer (-42 from final transfer spot)
8th – Aric Almirola (-50 from final transfer spot)

ROUND OF 8 NXS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Phoenix)
7th – Cole Custer (-23 from final transfer spot)
8th – Austin Cindric (-43 from final transfer spot)

ROUND OF 6 NCWTS PLAYOFF STANDINGS (Top 4 Advance After Phoenix)
4th – Grant Enfinger (+2 ahead of cutoff)
6th – Matt Crafton (-10 from final transfer spot)

FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT TMS

• Ford is tied for the most all-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wins at TMS with 13.
• Joey Logano (2014) and Kevin Harvick (2017) have Ford wins at the track.
• Jack Roush is tied for the most wins among car owners at TMS with nine.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT TMS

• Ford leads all manufacturers with 12 NASCAR XFINITY Series wins at TMS.
• Six current Ford Cup drivers have at least one NXS win at TMS (Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Trevor Bayne and Kurt Busch).
• Mark Martin won the first NXS race at Texas and leads Ford with three series victories overall.

FORD IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SERIES AT TMS

• Ford has 3 series wins at TMS.
• Kenny Irwin Jr. won the first series event held at TMS in 1997.
• Ford’s last series victory at TMS came by Greg Biffle in 2000.

17 WINS AND COUNTING…
Joey Logano’s dramatic win Sunday at Martinsville is the 17th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win for Ford, making it the third-best season in terms of victory in the modern era (1972-present).  Only the 20 wins in 1994 and the 19 victories in 1997 are better than what has been accomplished so far in 2018.

FORD WINS – SEASON
20 – 1994 (31 races)
19 – 1997 (32 races)
17 – 2018 (Through 33 races)
16 – 1992 (29 races)
16 – 2005 (36 races)
15 – 1998 (33 races)

PLAYOFF WIN SENT HARVICK TO CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR
One year ago when NASCAR came to Texas Motor Speedway it saw Kevin Harvick pass Martin Truex Jr. with 10 laps remaining to win and advance to the Championship Four.  The Playoff race was Harvick’s first Cup victory at the speedway in 30 starts and his second since he and Stewart-Haas Racing joined Ford at the start of 2017.

LAST LAP PASS LEADS LOGANO TO VICTORY
Joey Logano’s first Cup win at TMS came in 2014 in a race that was delayed until Monday because of rain.  Logano dominated much of the second half, but a caution with two laps to go forced a green-white-checker finish.  He started third on the restart after the leaders stopped on pit road, and was able to get past Jeff Gordon on the final lap to claim victory.  Logano led 108 of the final 116 laps to claim the first of five wins that season.

A TEXAS TWO-FIRST
A couple of firsts happened on April 6, 1997 as Texas Motor Speedway hosted its inaugural Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event and Jeff Burton took his first checkered flag. Burton, led by crew chief Buddy Parrott, passed Todd Bodine with 58 laps remaining and beat fellow Ford driver Dale Jarrett to the finish line by four seconds.  The race was slowed by 10 cautions, which included a multi-car accident in first turn of the first lap.  Burton went on to win 21 career series races with 17 of those coming in a Thunderbird or Taurus.

SADLER WINS FIRST RACE WITH RYR
Elliott Sadler passed Jeff Gordon with 27 laps remaining and then held off Kasey Kahne in the closing laps to win the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 on April 4, 2004.  Sadler, in his second season with Robert Yates Racing, hugged the inside lane over the final three laps as Kahne worked the outside.  When the two cars came off turn four for the final time, Sadler had a lapped car in front of him and that allowed Kahne to make one last charge.  Despite gaining crucial ground through the tri-oval, Kahne came up half-a-car length short as Sadler crossed the line first to gain his second of three career series wins.

FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT TEXAS
1997 – Jeff Burton
1998 – Mark Martin
2001 – Dale Jarrett
2002 – Matt Kenseth
2004 – Elliott Sadler
2005 – Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards
2008 – Carl Edwards*
2011 – Matt Kenseth (1)
2012 – Greg Biffle (1)
2014 – Joey Logano (1)
2017 – Kevin Harvick (2)
* Denotes season sweep

*Courtesy Ford Performance

DAYTONA, FL, January 9, 2018  –The Roar Before the Rolex 24 added a new twist to the event for the 2018 IMSA season. A special qualifying round happened this past Sunday morning that determined the order of choice for garage and pit selection for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The No. 66 Ford GT of Joey Hand /Dirk Müller / Sébastien Bourdais won the event and locked in the first selection, while teammates Ryan Briscoe / Richard Westbrook / Scott Dixon drivers of the No. 67 secured the third selection in the process.

Tune in January 27th, 2018 for the Rolex 24 At Daytona as Ford Chip Ganassi Racing goes for the back-to-back wins in this.

*Photos Courtesy of Ford Performance

MOORESVILLE, NC – March 6, 2018 – NASCAR announced the 20 finalists for consideration as part of the 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Class . Nine of the men have Ford Motor Company ties, including seven repeat nominees and two newcomers in John Holman and Ralph Moody.

Those back on the ballot from last year are current Ford team owners Jack Roush and Roger Penske; 1992 NASCAR Champion Alan Kulwicki; 19-time Ford Cup winner Davey Allison; Buddy Baker, who had 19 wins for a variety of teams including Bud Moore and the Wood Brothers; two-time champion engine-builder for David Pearson in 1968-69 with Holman-Moody, Waddell Wilson; and Ricky Rudd, the sport’s Iron Man, who had 23 wins in more than 900 starts, including stints with Bud Moore, the Wood Brothers and as an owner/driver.

DAVEY ALLISON

Davey Allison made 191 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts and all but eight of them were behind the wheel of the No. 28 Texaco Havoline Ford. He ran six full-time seasons when the series consisted of 29 races while running in parts of three others, and wasted little time in grabbing headlines. After car owner Harry Ranier hired him for the 1987 season Allison took off, qualifying second for the Daytona 500 and then grabbing the pole one week later at Rockingham.

Allison won 19 times overall, four of those with Ranier and the rest under ownership from fellow Hall of Fame Nominee Robert Yates, who purchased the team in 1989.  They won the 1992 Daytona 500 together and were in a battle with fellow Ford drivers Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki for the season championship, but an accident during the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway ended that bid.

Davey, the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, won his last race on March 7, 1993 at Richmond International Raceway. He died on July 13, 1993 from injuries suffered in a helicopter accident at Talladega Superspeedway.

BUDDY BAKER

Buddy Baker’s best season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series came in 1975 when he and NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee Bud Moore teamed up to win four times, which included a season sweep at Talladega Superspeedway. Baker extended his Talladega win streak to three the following season with Moore, but saw his bid for four in a row end with a second-place run in the fall of 1976.

Baker, who won 19 races overall during a 33-year career, made it back to Victory Lane with Ford six years later when he won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona in 1983 with the Wood Brothers. He drove two seasons for the family-owned operation, posting one win, two poles, and 24 top-10 finishes in 42 starts.

ALAN KULWICKI

Alan Kulwicki may have won only five races in his shortened Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, but in winning the 1992 series championship over fellow Ford drivers Bill Elliott and Davey Allison, he established a legacy that continues to shine today. As an owner/driver, Kulwicki changed the thinking of how a race team could be successful as he took a small underdog race team and beat the bigger organizations through hard work and determination.

After an accident at Dover with only six races remaining put him 278 points behind, Kulwicki clawed his way back into the title hunt.  Entering the season-finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kulwicki found himself second in the standings, but ended up taking the title in his No. 7 Hooters Ford ‘Underbird’ after leading one more lap than Elliott, who ended up winning the race. The fact Kulwicki led the most laps gave him the necessary bonus points to win the championship by 10 over Elliott.

Kulwicki, who is one of only seven drivers to win a Cup title with Ford, didn’t have a chance to defend his championship after the plane he was flying in crashed on approach to Tri-Cities Airport on April 1, 1993, killing him and three others on board.

ROGER PENSKE

Roger Penske has won 104 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races in his career and 58 of those have been with Ford. Since returning to Ford at the start of the 2013 season, Penske has put together a three-car operation that has won 31 times on the Cup side, and an equally successfully NASCAR XFINITY program that has 34 wins and four owner’s championships.

Penske made an immediate impact with Ford when he first joined the manufacturer in 1994, winning eight times with driver Rusty Wallace. The duo ended up winning 23 races from 1994-2001 and finished in the top-10 of the point standings every season. Penske has one Cup championship, winning that with current driver Brad Keselowski in 2012, and has made it to the playoff finals with Joey Logano twice.

JACK ROUSH

No owner has won more stock car races in NASCAR’s top three touring series than Jack Roush, and he’s done it all with Ford. Since becoming involved in the sport as an owner in 1988, Roush has gone on to post 324 victories in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup, XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series combined. In addition, he has won at least one championship in each series and eight overall (2 Cup, 5 XFINITY and 1 Truck).

He made MENCS history in 1998 by becoming the first owner to expand to five teams, and proved that model could work as evidenced by the fact that each of them qualified for the Chase in 2005. That gave Roush half of the playoff field, which was only 10 at the time. He and NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin are regarded as one of the top owner-driver combinations of all-time, having amassed 82 victories in NASCAR’s top three series together.

RICKY RUDD

There may be drivers who have won more races, but when it comes to pure toughness it’s hard to put anyone above Ricky Rudd. Whether it was putting tape over his eyelids after a harrowing crash at Daytona or surviving burns to his backside during a sweltering day at Martinsville, Rudd continually showed what made him a NASCAR staple from 1975-2007.

He set the sport’s all-time record for consecutive starts at 788 – starting every race from 1981-2005 – until Jeff Gordon broke it in 2015, and ranks second on NASCAR’s list for career starts with 906. Rudd registered 23 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories and went to victory lane 15 times with Ford. His biggest win undoubtedly came in the 1997 Brickyard 400 during a stretch where he filled the dual roles as owner and driver. His success and consistency are also remembered by the fact he had a streak of at least one series triumph for 16 consecutive seasons (1983-98).

WADDELL WILSON

One of the legendary operations in Ford Performance’s NASCAR history is Holman-Moody, and Waddell Wilson had a front row seat as a key contributor with that organization. He made his reputation as one of the top engine builders upon joining the team and producing the power that took Fireball Roberts to victory lane in the 1963 Southern 500 at Darlington.

As the sixties wound down, his stature grew even more as he was part of the Ford crew that helped Mario Andretti win the 1967 Daytona 500. Wilson, who also worked with current NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen during his Holman-Moody days, closed out the decade in grand fashion as he built the power that took David Pearson to consecutive Cup championships in 1968 and 1969. That marked the second and third titles for Ford overall, and the first time the manufacturer captured consecutive crowns.

JOHN HOLMAN AND RALPH MOODY

Even though they are on the ballot individually, it seems appropriate to write about them together because they were synonymous with Ford in the 1960s as co-owners of the manufacturer’s main factory-backed organization.

It’s the place where NASCAR Hall of Famer Robert Yates got his start and where fellow nominee Waddell Wilson honed his engine-building skills. It’s also where legendary drivers like Bobby Allison, Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Junior Johnson, Parnelli Jones, Fred Lorenzen, Benny Parsons, David Pearson, Fireball Roberts, Curtis Turner, Bobby Unser, Joe Weatherly, and Cale Yarborough took turns behind the wheel.

They were responsible for providing the engines that powered the fast Ford of Pearson to consecutive championships in 1968 and 1969 in what is now known as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Overall, the organization won 96 races and in 525 all-time starts finished in the top 5 a total of 284 times (54 percent).

Voting Day for the 2019 class will be Wednesday, May 23, 2018.

*Courtesy of Ford Performance

SIX STRAIGHT TALLADEGA WINS FOR TEAM FORD

*Images courtesy of NASCAR Media