Archive for the ‘2019 Press Releases’ Category

MASTERCAM AND ROUSH YATES ENGINES RENEW PARTNERSHIP

Posted on: April 11th, 2019
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC, April 11, 2019 – Roush Yates Engines announced today a multi-year partnership extension agreement with CNC Software, Inc. for Mastercam to continue as the official CAD/CAM software of Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions. After starting the partnership in 2015, this extension will partner these two innovative companies together until 2025.
Mastercam, an industry leader for more than 35 years in CAD/CAM software, delivers CNC programing solutions in 75 countries around the world. Their strategy of combining superior software programming with continuous development and support makes their product the best in the industry. This is why Roush Yates Engines selected Mastercam as their CAD/CAM software to program more than 50 CNC machines in a newly renovated, climate controlled, 88,000 square foot facility in Mooresville, North Carolina.
“With a shared commitment of quality and objective to deliver the best products to our engine programs, partnering with Mastercam ensures us a continued level of excellence,” said Mitch Miller, General Manager, Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions. “Their software and continued collaboration are vital to our success on the race track and we look forward to expanding this valued partnership into the future.”
Mastercam software is invaluable to the production of more than 40% of the engine components that power the Ford NASCAR FR9 EFI and IMSA Ford EcoBoost race engines. Thousands of components are milled and drilled with the use of  Mastercam software programming. It is critical that these parts meet the tightest of tolerances to support our engine designs and development process.
To deliver the best on the race track and compete globally, you need to partner with the best. That’s why Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions partner with Mastercam.
Stas Mylek, Partnership Program Manager at CNC Software, Inc., says “We are privileged to have Roush Yates Engines as a valued partner for the next five years. They not only push their engines but have been instrumental in driving Mastercam to new levels of performance through the ongoing collaboration between the two companies. It’s exciting to witness the significant growth in their shop, the product and services they provide, and their use of Mastercam.”

About CNC Software, Inc.:
Founded in 1983, CNC Software, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Tolland, Connecticut, with corporate offices in Switzerland and China. The company develops Mastercam, a suite of CAD/CAM software created to reduce production time and expense with efficient machining strategies and advanced toolpath technologies like Accelerated Finishing™ and Dynamic Motion™. Mastercam is the world’s #1 CAM software, with more than 250,000 installations in industries such as mold making, automotive, medical, aerospace, consumer products, education, and prototyping. It is distributed through an international channel of authorized Mastercam Resellers in 75 countries, providing localized sales, training, and support for 2- through 5-axis routing, milling, and turning; 2- and 4-axis wire EDM; 2D and 3D design; surface and solid modeling; artistic relief cutting; and Swiss machining. For more information, visitwww.mastercam.com.

COLE CUSTER WINS AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY

Posted on: July 15th, 2019
Location: post
Sparta, KY – July 15, 2019 – Cole Custer won the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway and Ford Performance teammate Austin Cindric earned his first pole of the season. The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang recorded its fifth win of the season and first win at Kentucky.
“Congratulations to Cole, Tony, and Gene,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Cole and the entire organization at Stewart-Haas Racing continue to put themselves in a position to win each weekend. Mike Shiplett and the No. 00 crew made some great adjustments to the car and were well prepared for the transition into the night.”
Custer’s No. 00 Ford Mustang came to life when the sun set and he passed his teammate Chase Briscoe on lap 111 for the lead. Cole dominated after this pass, leading 88 overall laps and crossed the finish line 1.651 seconds ahead of Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota. All three Ford Performance Mustangs finished the race. Following Custer was Briscoe in P5 while Cindric finished P14.
“This one just goes to my team,” Custer commented in post-race interview. “The car was unbelievable at the end. They knew exactly what to do with it when the track changed, and I was just lucky to drive it there at the end. I can’t thank Gene Haas and everybody at Haas Automation enough. You don’t get cars like that very often.”
Custer is currently P3 while, pole winner, Cindric is in P4, and Briscoe is P8 in NXS driver points standings with nine races to go until the NXS Playoffs start.
Daniel Suárez won his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series pole for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR). Suárez bested his teammate Aric Almirola for a SHR front row at Kentucky Speedway.  In the Quaker State 400, four Fords finished in the top-10; Clint Bowyer in P6, Joey Logano P7, Suárez in P8, and Ryan Newman in P9. The Ford Mustangs also led a combined 150 laps out of the 269-lap race, led by Suárez with 52 laps.
NASCAR heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend while IMSA heads to Lime Rock Park. Reference the full 2019 schedule on www.roushyates.com.

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 364 WINS – 341 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media

FORD MUSTANG WINS SEASON FINALE AT ROAD ATLANTA

Posted on: October 14th, 2019
Location: post

BRASELTON, GA – October 14, 2019 – Austin Cindric and Seb Priaulx won the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season finale (GS class) at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. This dynamic duo, brought together by Multimatic Motorsports, drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang GT4 to victory lane with a stellar performance.
“Congratulations to Austin, Seb, and all the Ford Performance teams,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was great to see Austin and Seb win their first race for Ford to complete the 2019 season and see the Ford GTs run strong, to bring home the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup titles as this successful four-year program comes to an end. I’m so proud of these teams and the achievements they accomplished together including the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2017 & 2018 Rolex 24 at Daytona to name a few. We have been blessed to provide the Ford EcoBoost and Ford 5.2L engines in partnership with Ford Performance for the 2016 – 2019 seasons for these elite program.”

The weekend started off strong with S. Priaulx, son of three-time World Touring Car Cup champion Andy Priaulx and co-driver of the Ford GT in the FIA World Endurance Cup Series, as he quickly adapted to the 2.54 mile track on Friday, recording a 1:26.808 qualifying lap to secure a front row start in the Fox Factory 120.
S. Priaulx started the first stint in the driver seat and handed the car over to Cindric to finish out the 2-hour race. With 25 minutes left in the race, Cindric passed for the lead and led the last 19 laps of the 67-lap race to build a 6.013 second lead before taking the checkered flag.

“I’ve had a lot of fun when Ford Performance brings over the NASCAR Xfinity guys and we get to do some of these races in the GT4 cars,” said Cindric. “Multimatic kind of kickstarted my career. It took off in a lot of different directions and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. I see the same thing with Seb. They believe in him and he’s done an awesome job.”
“Thanks to Austin, he did a great job to get the car home in first place,” added Priaulx. “It was a good race. We had good pace at the start, not to get the P1 spot but it was good enough to win the race today, so I’m really happy. Thanks to Multimatic and Ford Performance to give me a chance to race this car and with Austin.”

Ford Mustang teammates Chase Briscoe / Cole Custer finished P9 while James Pesek / Jade Buford finished P17 for PF Racing, and Nate Stacy / Kyle Marcelli finished P19 for KohR Motorsports.
In the final Ford GT race, of the four-year program, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing (Ford CGR) earned one final podium for the Ford GT at Petit Le Mans. In an outstanding performance by both the No. 66 and No. 67, the Ford GTs led a combined 234 laps out of the 434-lap race but ran out of time chasing down the leader after a late race caution.
The No. 67 Ford GT trio of Richard Westbrook, Ryan Briscoe, and Scott Dixon pushed hard for 10 hours and ran a strong race till the end but came up a bit short to finish P2 in the GTLM class.
“Although we would have liked to end it with a win, there’s no question our guys gave it all they had today,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance, Motorsports. “Both cars had great pace, and we battled to the very end. It was the nature of this team and this Ford GT program from the start – to find a way to be competitive no matter what. I couldn’t be prouder of everyone involved, including our great partners Ganassi, Multimatic, Roush Yates (Engines) and Michelin. We could not have had the success we had in this program without them.”
“It started at Ford Motor Company, and then to Ford Performance, and Chip Ganassi Racing, and Multimatic, and Roush Yates,” commented Hand. “People probably wouldn’t believe those five big entities, and just bad ass people, could come together like a family in just a few months and do what we did. It’s about the people and the relationships and we had strong relationships here between Dirk and I, Seb, and Westy, Ryan and Dixie. It was a fun ride and I will have great friends for life.”
To close out the season and program, Ford CGR claimed the driver, team, and manufacturer titles in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. This Cup is a special title which highlights the four endurance races on the IMSA 2019 schedule; The Rolex 24 at Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, 6 Hours of the Glen, and 10 Hours of Petit Le Mans.

During the four- year program, Ford CGR teams earned 19 wins and 48 podiums globally, in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship.
26 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 377 WINS – 355 POLES!
*Pictures courtesy of Ford Performance

Video | Universal Technical Institute – CNC MACHINING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Posted on: April 11th, 2019
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC, April 11, 2019 – In cooperation with Universal Technical Institute – CNC Machining Technology Program, a leader in education, you will learn everything from reading blueprints and interpreting geometric dimensioning and tolerancing to the programming, setup and operation of CNC lathes and mills.

Learn more about the CNC Machining Technology Program and the dynamic careers it could lead you to.

 

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Aims for Second-Consecutive Overall Win at Lime Rock Park

Posted on: July 17th, 2019
Location: post

LIME ROCK, CT – July 17, 2019 – Last year, Dirk Müller watched co-driver Joey Hand close a 12-second gap in the final stint to send them to victory lane at Lime Rock Park – the first win for Ford GT at the storied Connecticut track.

It was the third-consecutive IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, the first overall win for the team at the all-GT category race and the reward after a weekend of making adjustments to the No. 66 Ford GT.

“That was quite a celebration for us,” Müller said. “We don’t often have the chance to get an overall win, so it was special. We worked hard for it. We qualified third, so we knew we might have a chance, but the crew worked on the set-up right up until the start of the race to get it just right.”

 Co-drivers Ryan Briscoe, of nearby Farmington, Conn. and Richard Westbrook finished sixth. They made the podium in 2016, finishing third after starting on pole.

“I look forward to this race because it’s my home track,” Briscoe said. “It’s always pretty busy in the paddock for me. I’d love to put the No. 67 Ford GT back on the podium for them.”

Müller is fifth in the championship points, while Hand is 11th after missing two races due to an illness. Briscoe and Westbrook are sixth. Hand and Müller wouldn’t mind a return trip to the top of the podium.

“I had to be really aggressive there at the end last year, but that’s what you have to do at Lime Rock,” Hand said. “I could tell I was closing in on the leader, so I kept pushing. There aren’t many corners at Lime Rock, but at the same time, managing traffic is really important. That and staying around until the end, putting yourself into a position to win, are the keys to it. We really like this track. It’s a fun, different kind of race.”

Five races remain in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech series.

*Courtesy Ford Performance

FORD WINS WITH A 1-2 FINISH AT TALLADEGA

Posted on: October 15th, 2019
Location: post

LINCOLN, AL – October 15, 2019 – It was a photo finish for Ryan Blaney in his first Talladega win; taking Team Penske and Ford Performance back to Victory Lane at Talladega SuperSpeedway for the 29th time. Blaney is now the second driver locked into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8. Ford Performance teams have won 8 out of the last 9 races at Talladega SuperSpeedway.
“Congratulations Ryan, Roger, and Team Penske,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Blaney and Newman put it all on the line during that last lap and left everything on the track. It’s a great day when you see both Ford Performance cars battling for the win and five different Ford teams finishing in the top-10. It demonstrates the level of determination and passion that these teams have to win. We are honored to design, develop, and build the FR9 Engines in partnership with Ford Performance.”

After the eighth caution, the race went back to green with the No. 12 Blaney and No. 10 Aric Almirola in the front row with 2 laps to go. On the final lap, Blaney surrendered the lead to Ryan Newman, who received a strong push to the front. Coming to the checkered flag, Blaney side-drafted, and with help from fellow Ford teammate Almirola, beat Newman to the finish line by a mere .007 seconds. This marked Blaney’s third career MENCS win and his first Talladega win.

“It means a ton,” commented Blaney. “I have been coming here ever since I was really young and watched my dad run here a lot and watched him run pretty good here a lot. I got to drive for the Wood Brothers here. It is a cool feeling. This new infield in this new victory lane. I love coming here and I love it even more now.”
Eight different Ford Mustang’s led the 1000 Bulbs.com 500 for a combined 125 laps of the 188-lap race; led by Blaney with a race high 35 laps and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with 32.
Six Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10 at Talladega; along with Blaney and Newman were Aric Almirola in P4, Michael McDowell P5, Corey LaJoie P7, and Stenhouse Jr. in P9.
With one race to go before the next Playoff cut, Blaney leads the Ford Playoff field with Kevin Harvick (+36), Brad Keselowski (+20), and Joey Logano (+18) currently above the cutoff line, while Clint Bowyer (-24) is currently below the cutoff line.
This weekend, MENCS heads to Kansas Speedway for the final race before the MENCS Playoff Round of 8 is set.

27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 378 WINS – 355 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media

CUSTER & CINDRIC FINISH 1-2 FOR FORD PERFORMANCE

Posted on: April 15th, 2019
Location: post

RICHMOND, VA – April 15, 2019 – Ford teammates Cole Custer and Austin Cindric battled for their first short track win Friday night in Richmond, VA. But it was the No.00 of Cole Custer that finished top of the class, winning his second race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series while Cindric finished second.
“Congratulations to Cole, Tony, and Gene,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was great to see two young Ford Performance drivers battling it out tonight. It means so much to these guys to win and make a mark for themselves. We, at Roush Yates Engines, are just blessed to be part of that winning formula with Ford Performance tonight.”

“It is a great race for us,” said Custer in Victory Lane. “Our first short track win and second win of the year. It means a ton.”

The No.00, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang powered by the Ford FR9 Carb engine led a total of three times for a race high 122 laps in total. But it was the last 20 laps of the race which sealed the win for Custer. Custer’s patience and maturity showed during the closing 20 laps of the race, as he battled fellow Ford Performance teammate Cindric for the final lead on lap 231 and took the checkered flag 2.639 seconds in front of Cindric.
Custer “cashed in” on the weekend, not only winning for the fourth time in his career, but also claiming the $100,000 Xfinity Dash-4-Cash bonus check.
After a strong qualifying performance on Friday night, by the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Ford Mustangs, No. 4 Kevin Harvick captured the pole position at Richmond Raceway, while Team Penske teammates, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski lined up third and eighth, and Paul Menard ninth.
A total of six Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10 of the race, led by Stage 2 winner, Logano in P2, Stewart-Hass Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Harvick in P3 and P4 respectively. In addition, Keselowski finished P7 with Roush Fenway Racing’s Ryan Newman in P9 and the Wood Brother’s Racing, Paul Menard in P10.
On the West coast, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing, with the No. 66 and No. 67 Ford GTs were in an epic battle in the Bubba burger Sports Car Grand Prix Street Course. But it was not meant to be, as the No. 66 came up short on fuel, on the last lap of the race, to finish P4 while the No. 67 finished P6.
NASCAR and IMSA will take this weekend off. The NASCAR teams look forward to Talladega on April 27-28 and IMSA will be back in action on May 4-5 at Mid-Ohio, along with the FIA WEC on May 4 in Spa, Belgium. Reference the full 2019 schedule on www.roushyates.com.

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 359 WINS – 328 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of Ford Performance and NASCAR Media

 

HARVICK GOES TO VICTORY LANE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Posted on: July 22nd, 2019
Location: post
Loudon, NH – July 22, 2019 – With a bold late race call by crew chief Rodney Childers, Kevin Harvick and Stewart-Haas Racing secured their first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season, making it back-to-back race wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the team.
“Congratulations Kevin, Rodney, and the Stewart-Haas crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Kevin and Rodney put the team in contention for the win and Kevin drove a great race to bring home the win this weekend. I just want to say congratulations to Ford and everyone back at Roush Yates Engines. This was a finish that will be remembered.”
Harvick, in the No. 4 Ford Mustang, capitalized on a late race call by Childers to stay out during the last caution of the race while all, but three cars came in for tires. Harvick had a great restart, but soon had a hard charging Denny Hamlin closing in. As Harvick took the white flag with one lap to go, Hamlin was at his rear bumper and it quickly turned into a drag race to the finish. Harvick was able to hold off Hamlin to take the checkered flag with a margin of victory of 0.210-second.

This was Harvick’s fourth victory at the 1.058-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway and the 46th of his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career. In addition, it marked the 52nd points-race MENCS win for SHR.

“I felt like we had a great car all weekend and everybody had been doing a good job,” commented Childers in Victory Lane. “We were just in a bad spot there with track position and I didn’t think we were gonna win from where we were at, so sometimes you have to make those decisions and Kevin did a great job on the restart and holding his own. That track position was key today and clean air and just really proud of everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing and everybody at Ford and everybody that has pushed hard for us all year to try to get our cars better and get back to Victory Lane.”
A total of five Fords finished in the top-10. Following Harvick was Ryan Blaney in P4, Ryan Newman in P7, Joey Logano P9, and rounding out the top-10 was pole sitter Brad Keselowski.
In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, it was pole winner Cole Custer, from Stewart-Haas Racing, finishing P2 in New Hampshire in the Roxor 200 while Ford Performance teammates Paul Menard finished P5, Chase Briscoe P6, and Austin Cindric P12.
MENCS will head to Pocono while NXS heads to Iowa this weekend.

23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 365 WINS – 343 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media

HARVICK ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4

Posted on: November 4th, 2019
Location: post

 

FORT WORTH, TX – November 4, 2019 – Kevin Harvick led the Ford Mustangs to a 1-2-3-4 finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Winning his third straight AAA Texas 500, Harvick advances to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami for the fifth time in the past six years.
 

 
“Congratulations to Kevin, Tony, Gene, and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was an incredible race, and everyone is pushing so hard to win these last couple of races. It was great to see these Ford Mustangs run so strong. We knew it was going to be a challenge with the changing track temperatures throughout the race, but Rodney and Kevin were well prepared. We {Roush Yates Engines} are proud to be part of the Ford family and look forward to Ford Performance racing for another championship.”
 

 
Harvick started the weekend off strong by taking the pole with a qualifying lap of 28.465 mph.
 

 
The Ford teams led a combined 247 laps out of the 334-lap race with a race high by Harvick of 119. In addition, Stewart-Haas teammate and Stage 2 winner Aric Almirola led 62 laps while Clint Bowyer had 36 laps and Daniel Suárez led 25 laps.
 

 

 
After leading the field and winning the first Stage, Harvick had to serve a pit-row penalty that put him in the rear of the field, but during a late caution he was able to get new tires on the No. 4 Ford Mustang and take control of the race, passing Almirola for the lead and finishing 1.594 seconds ahead of his SHR teammate. This marked Harvick’s 49th all-time Cup win, tying him with Stewart-Haas co-owner Tony Stewart for 14th on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list.
 

 
“Just really proud of everybody on this team,” noted Harvick in Victory Lane. “Just got to thank everybody from Busch Beer, from Hunt Brothers Pizza, Mobil 1, Jimmy John’s, everybody from Haas Automation and Stewart‑Haas Racing, Roush Yates Engines for the last‑minute engine change and the things that they worked on to give us all the speed we had here, and it was definitely fun to drive.”
 

 
Harvick and teammates Almirola and Suárez finished 1-2-3 with Team Penske’s Joey Logano finishing P4 and Ryan Blaney P8.

Harvick is now locked into the Championship 4 Playoffs with reigning 2018 NASCAR Champion, Logano P4 (+20 above the transfer line) and Blaney (-23 below the last transfer spot).
 

 
Ford NASCAR Xfinity driver Austin Cindric led the Ford Mustangs with a P4 finish Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway followed by Cole Custer P8, and Chase Briscoe P22.
 

 
In the NXS Playoff driver’s points standings, Custer is P2 (+52) above the transfer line while currently below the last transfer position are Briscoe (-18) and Cindric (-31).
 

 
NASCAR heads into the final event of the season this weekend in Arizona before the Homestead-Miami Championship race decides the titles for 2019.

 

27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 379 WINS – 356 POLES!
 

 

*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media

Reaching for Mid-Ohio Redemption After Last Year’s Frustrating Finish for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing

Posted on: May 2nd, 2019
Location: post

Reaching for Mid-Ohio Redemption After Last Year’s Frustrating Finish for Ford Chip Ganassi Racing

  • Joey Hand will once again pass driving duties off to Sébastien Bourdais in order to focus on Le Mans
  • Ford Chip Ganassi Racing seeks its first victory of 2019 as IMSA arrives at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the ‘regular season’ of the WeatherTech Championship; finished fourth and fifth at the track last year
  • Four years ago, the first race weekend in May saw the new Ford GT, driven by Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe, pick up its first global victory in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca
  • All four Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GTs are in action this weekend, as WEC team also runs the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
  • Bourdais returns for a second consecutive race in a fill in role for Joey Hand, who is focusing on recovery efforts to ensure he’s prepared for Le Mans

LEXINGTON, Ohio, May 2, 2019–Can history repeat itself?

Four years ago, on this very same first race weekend of May, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing accomplished a landmark achievement when Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe took the No. 67 Ford GT to victory lane at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., the first global win for the then-new Ford GT race car.

This weekend, Westbrook and Briscoe will join teammates Dirk Mueller and Sébastien Bourdais in seeking to return a Ford GT to IMSA victory lane for the first time since last summer’s race at Road America.

Bourdais returns for a second consecutive race in a fill in role for Joey Hand, who is focusing on recovery efforts to ensure he’s prepared for Le Mans.

“It’s really been a rough few weeks dealing with this very strong virus,” said Hand. “Under doctors’ orders, I’ve had to rest with no physical activity whatsoever. Only this week have I felt well enough and been given the okay to do light training and resume preparation for driving again. Having missed my home race at Long Beach and now effectively out of the drivers’ championship points chase, my main priority and focus is to be 100% for Le Mans.

“It’s so tough to miss another race,” he continued. “But with the unknown of how I would feel getting back into the racecar later this week for Mid-Ohio, I certainly did not want to jeopardize and compromise Dirk’s and the team’s chances of success. So we’ve made the collective decision to wait one more event before I get back behind the wheel. Fortunately having Seb available again, means the team still has a great shot at the win! I’ll be cheering the boys on.”

In 2018, IMSA returned to Mid-Ohio for the first time since 2013’s GRAND-AM race. The pair of Ford GTs qualified sixth and seventh before subsequently finishing fourth and fifth. After coming up short in the first three races of 2019, the Fords are looking to capitalize during this midwestern foray and gain momentum heading into next month’s Le Mans 24 Hours.

“The Ford GT program has been an immense success overall,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “But on top of the great development learnings we’ve gained from this program, we obviously want wins when we show up at a race track. We struggled a bit at this race last year and have come up just shy of a win at all three IMSA races so far this year, but we think we have a good shot at redeeming both those situations this weekend.”

The first three races of the IMSA season feature a twice-around-the-clock race at Daytona, a once-around-the-clock race at Sebring and a brief 100-minute sprint around the streets of Long Beach.  Mid-Ohio is the first race to feature the two-hour, 40-minute runtime that makes up the bulk of the WeatherTech Championship races. As the ‘regular season’ begins, all four drivers are looking to kick things into high gear.

Mueller and Westbrook have both captured sports car endurance wins at Mid-Ohio in the past, while Bourdais is seeking his first victory at the Lexington, Ohio facility.  Briscoe is also anxious to unload as he has an INDYCAR victory on the circuit, but none yet in sports car racing.

“We’re really looking forward to getting to Mid-Ohio and getting this GT program to the top of the podium for the first time this year,” said Briscoe.  “Four years ago this week, Westy and I got the Ford GT’s first win at Laguna Seca, and that victory really gave our whole Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team momentum for the rest of the year.  We’d like to duplicate that kind of performance as we get ready for Le Mans next month.”

Mueller and Bourdais are currently fourth in the drivers’ championship standings, with Westbrook and Briscoe sixth.  Ford currently sits third in the manufacturers’ standings, 10 points out of first.

The IMSA Sports Car Challenge begins Sunday, May 5, with coverage beginning at 1:30 pm ET on NBCSN domestically and IMSA.tv internationally.

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s WEC team will also be in action this weekend at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, their final tune-up before Le Mans.

*Courtesy of Ford Performance