Archive for the ‘2018 Press Releases’ Category

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!

RYE MERCHANDISE

Posted on: April 27th, 2018
Location: post

New Roush Yates Engines’ merchandise has been delivered and is ready for you to check out at the RYE SHOP.

 

1-2-3 FOR STEWART-HAAS RACING IN MICHIGAN!

Posted on: June 11th, 2018
Location: post

BROOKLYN, MI – June 11, 2018 – Clint Bowyer along with Stewart-Haas Racing teammates made it a 1-2-3 finish at Michigan International Speedway, sweeping the FireKeepers Casino 400. The No. 14 of Bowyer, with Kevin Harvick and pole winner Kurt Busch, made history with the first 1-2-3 finish for Stewart-Haas Racing in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race while marking Bowyer’s 10th career Cup win and SHR’s 46 points Cup win.

Ford Motor Company also brought home the Heritage Trophy, awarded to the winning manufacturer at Michigan.
“Congratulations to Clint, Tony, Gene and the Stewart-Haas organization,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was a strong showing by the Ford’s this weekend with Kurt taking the pole Friday and to see seven Fords finish in the top-10 was great. We always want to run good, but when you’re in Michigan its extra special when you can help bring the Heritage Trophy back to Dearborn and the Ford family.”
The Ford Fusions powered by the Ford FR9 EFI engines all ran strong from the time they were brought off the haulers at Michigan International Speedway with the No. 41 of Kurt Busch winning the pole at 203.361 mph. The Ford teams went onto lead 121 out of the 133-lap race.

After a rain delay start to the race, the Ford Fusions showcased their speed as Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney won Stage 1 and SHR Harvick won Stage 2. As the weather moved in just after the completion of Stage 2, a strategy call by Mike Bugarewicz, Crew Chief of the No.14 decided to take two tires. In the showdown between teammates, Bowyer held off Harvick on the final restart and was able to retain the lead before rain shortened the 200-lap race and stopped the event.

“That was a gutsy call,” commented Bowyer on Bugarewicz’s call. “When we went out there on two tires I looked in the mirror and I was so far ahead of everybody else, I was like, ‘Oh man, we are in trouble!’ The rain came just in enough time. He was so much faster than me in one and two. I got down in three and just had to take his line because that bear was coming.”
In total, seven Ford’s topped the leader board to end the race; Bowyer (P1), Harvick (P2), Busch (P3), Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Paul Menard (P5), Team-Penske teammates No. 2 Brad Keselowski (P6), Joey Logano (P7) and Ryan Blaney (P8) and just outside the top-10 was No. 10 Aric Almirola (P11).
“I think it’s a real honor to drive the Roush‑Yates engines when you get to a place like this because you can be a lot easier on your car,” commented Harvick after the race. “Doug Yates and those guys, they like to make big horsepower on the big end of the motor, put a lot of effort into this particular race weekend.”

The Ford Performance teams will ride this momentum out to Sonoma Raceway on June 24th. Reference the full 2018 schedule on Roush Yates Engines.

14 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 332 WINS – 297 POLES!

HARVICK WINS AND FORD SWEEPS SEASON AT MICHIGAN

Posted on: August 13th, 2018
Location: post

BROOKLYN, MI – August 13, 2018 – Kevin Harvick, in the Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) No.4 Ford Fusion reached Victory Lane for the seventh time this year in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Harvick swept the Consumer Energy 400 on Sunday with the flawless execution of the No. 4 team, to mark Ford’s 38th win at Michigan and 668 all-time Cup win.
“Congratulations to Kevin, Tony, Gene and the Stewart-Haas organization on the seventh points win of the season,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Kevin and the team ran an unbelievable race. It’s been a great week here in Michigan with the reveal of the 2019 NASCAR Ford Mustang and now to win the 400 and retain the Heritage trophy for Ford Motor Co., it’s just a special deal. Our team, back at Roush Yates Engines, is very proud to be part of this partnership and continue to push toward the Playoffs.”
Harvick started the Consumer Energy 400 in the second row, but it didn’t take long for him to make his charge to the front. After a mid-stage restart, Harvick seized the opportunity to take the lead and set himself up to win the first Stage of the race.
The No. 4 SHR team executed the game plan perfectly to help put Harvick in position to take the Stage 2 win, on his way to leading 108 out of the 200-lap race and take the checkered flag 3.233-second over Ford teammate Brad Keselowski.

Harvick made it back-to-back wins at Michigan International Speedway for SHR, following teammate Clint Bowyer’s win in the Spring.

“Keelan is saving me some work,” said Harvick in Victory Lane. “Usually when I get home the next day we have to mock up a victory lane celebration. For him to be here and able to do that and be a part of NASCAR and bring your son to work and do all the things that we get to do with our kids, I have had him with me by myself the last three weeks and we have had a ball. I couldn’t be happier to be a dad and be a part of NASCAR where they let your family come to the race track and be a part of it.”
Harvick now leads the driver Playoff points standings with 40 points, five points over Kurt Busch in second.

In total six Ford’s finished in the Top-10; Harvick (P1), Keselowski (P2), Ryan Blaney (P5), Kurt Busch (P6), Aric Almirola (P7), and Joey Logano (P10).
On Saturday, at the Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course, Austin Cindric in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang won his second pole of the year and 10th for Roush Yates Engines this season.

Cindric led a total of 59 out of the 75-lap race and finished second with Ford teammates Cole Custer from SHR finishing seventh and Ryan Reed from Roush Fenway Racing tenth.
This coming weekend, NASCAR heads back to Bristol, Tennessee for the second time this season, while the Ford Performance IMSA teams’ race for their fifth straight WeatherTech Sportscar Championship win at VIR and their WEC teammates get back to the track in the U.K for the Six Hours of Silverstone. Reference the full 2018 schedule on Roush Yates Engines.

14 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 342 WINS – 307 POLES!
*Images courtesy of NASCAR Media

KEN BLOCK AND TOYO TIRES PRESENT THE HOONITRUCK! THE ALL-NEW, MOST UNIQUE ALL WHEEL-DRIVE RACE TRUCK OF ALL TIME

Posted on: October 24th, 2018
Location: post

LONG BEACH, CA – October 24, 2018 – Ahead of his upcoming GYMKHANA TEN, Ken Block, in association with Toyo Tires, is pleased to present to the world his latest, mind-blowing custom Gymkhana vehicle build: The Hoonitruck!

Created partially out of Block’s general love for trucks (a man who has daily-driven a Ford Raptor since 2010 and in general thinks trucks are rad) and partially as a bit of a tribute to his late father due to the fact that he grew up cutting his teeth with this era of Ford F-150—Block’s father had the exact same base truck back in the day, which Block learned how to drive on when he was 15 years old and then used when he’d go racing dirt bikes as a teen.

Based on a 1977 Ford F-150, Block’s Hoonitruck is powered by a custom-tuned Ford Performance V6 EcoBoost engine lifted directly out of the Ford Performance Ford GT Le Mans development program. Making 914hp at 7,400rpm and 702 ft-lbs at 6,450 rpm, the engine is a snarling, billet-aluminum menace, sounding like nothing you’ve ever heard in a Gymkhana video before.

The power is routed to all four wheels via a Sadev 6-speed all wheel-drive gearbox (similar to the one used in Block’s Hoonicorn). Chassis, bodywork and fabrication was all handled by Detroit Speed, in Mooresville, NC, with the overall design and styling of the project dictated by Block and his team at Hoonigan.

In addition to the above, the Hoonitruck also features some direct tie-ins to current Ford F-150 products. The vehicle features hand-shaped aluminum bodywork (identical to the military-grade aluminum that Ford uses currently) Ford Pass remote start integration and even a functional backup camera/tow hitch setup.

“This project has been in the works for about 2 years,” said Block. “I’m beyond pleased with how it turned out, it’s simply one of the most badass and unique vehicles I’ve seen in a long time and I think it compliments my Hoonicorn perfectly. It’s also crazy to be throwing something around that’s this size when doing Gymkhana-style driving. But, it looks absolutely wild on camera, and that was our goal from the start. I can’t wait for the fans to be able to see it in action, I think they’re gonna love it!”

For those that want to be among the first to see the Hoonitruck in person, it will be on static display at the Toyo Tires booth #62122 at SEMA in Las Vegas this year. It will also be shown in more detail during Block’s upcoming Amazon Prime Video series, The Gymkhana Files where there will be some behind-the-scenes action of the fabrication process, testing and ultimately, filming in GYMKHANA TEN. Block’s GYMKHANA TEN drops as an early exclusive on Amazon Prime Video on December 7th, followed by a global release on Hoonigan’s YouTube channel December 17th.

STATS

  • 1977 Ford F-150
  • 3.5 liter Ford Performance/Roush Yates EcoBoost V6
  • 914 horsepower, 702 lb-ft of torque
  • Chassis design, engineering and bodywork by Detroit Speed Engineering
  • Hand-hammered military-grade aluminum bodywork
  • Styling by Block and his team at Hoonigan
  • Custom 20-inch fifteen52 Turbomac HD wheels
  • Toyo Tires Proxes ST III

*Courtesy Ford Performance

DRIVERS SHOWCASE MUSTANG HORSEPOWER AT ROAR BEFORE THE ROLEX 24

Posted on: January 9th, 2018
Location: post

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

HARVICK DOUBLE DOWNS AT VEGAS

Posted on: March 5th, 2018
Location: post

LAS VEGAS, NV, March 5, 2018 – Stewart-Haas Racing and Kevin Harvick double down to win their second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in a row, winning the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Recording his fourth MENCS race win with Ford Performance and fifth time winning back-to-back races in his career.
“Congratulations to Kevin on his 100th career NASCAR win,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Kevin, drove a great race and the Ford Fusions ran strong all day. Ford Performance teams have started strong this year and we are proud to power the Ford Fusions with the Ford FR9 engines.”

From the second lap of the race the No. 4 Harvick, with the Ford FR9 horsepower, took control to win both Stages. Harvick led the most laps by a winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a total of 214 laps out of a 267 laps, on his way to recording his 13th win on a 1.5-mile track.

In achieving his 100th career win, Harvick has recorded 39 MENCS wins, 47 NASCAR Xfinity wins and 14 Camping World Truck Series wins. He is only the fourth driver in NASCAR history to accomplish the feat, joining Richard Petty (200 wins), Kyle Busch (184 wins) and David Pearson (106 wins).

Harvick commented on his 100th win in victory lane, “I think as you look back and you look at all the different wins and the wins that we have had here and at KHI and Richard Childress Racing and Junior Motorsports. All the different vehicles I have been fortunate to drive, and there have been a lot of good ones. I know how hard it is to get to victory lane and to know we have been there 100 times is something I almost can’t fathom.”
Ryan Blaney recorded his first MENCS pole of the season at Las Vegas and third career MENCS pole.
Blaney finished fifth and fellow Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano finishing in sixth and seventh respectively, while Wood Brothers Racing driver Paul Menard finished ninth and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola finished tenth.
The Fords will travel to the second stop on the west coast swing at ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend to see if they can make it three in a row.
14 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 318 WINS – 283 POLES!

TALLADEGA | FORD and RESTRICTOR PLATE TRACKS

Posted on: April 27th, 2018
Location: post

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 11th 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

FORD GT WRAPS UP FIRST ROUND OF QUALIFYING

Posted on: June 14th, 2018
Location: post

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), 8th (No. 68), 9th (No. 69) and 10th (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

FORD WEC CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLES RESUMES AT SILVERSTONE: VIDEO

Posted on: August 14th, 2018
Location: post

 

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