Archive for the ‘2021 Press Releases’ Category

Donnie Allison surprised by The Garage Shop

Posted on: August 3rd, 2021
Location: post

Witness the unveiling of The Garage Shop’s Ford Talladega powered by Roush Yates Engines and painted in tribute to Alabama Gang and NASCAR winning driver Donnie Allison.

A lot of work, planning and keeping it a secret from him went into this. Hear and see his reaction, plus hear from others who were part of this special project.

CINDRIC WINS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Posted on: August 16th, 2021
Location: post
 
 
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – August 16, 2021 – Austin Cindric won in his home state of Indiana, marking his fifth win and first road course win of the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
 

“Congratulations to Austin, Brian, Roger, and the entire No. 22 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “The road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a new and unique track with its own set of challenges. I am proud of Brian and Austin for a well-executed race and a monumental win for Roger Penske, Team Penske, and the Cindric family.

Cindric started the race in 2nd position and was able to maintain his spot at the front of the field avoiding a multiple car incident at the turtle in Turn 6 early in the race. After taking the lead in Stage 3, Cindric pulled away from the rest of the field and led a race high 29 out of 62 laps, winning the race by 2.108 seconds.

“I am so proud to be a part of this Penske family with PPG and Ford and everyone that has put so much into my career. This racetrack is so much deeper than just that with my family history and what this place means to me. I can’t even put into words what it means to win at Indianapolis,” commented Cindric.

Ford Performance teammate Riley Herbst with Stewart-Haas Racing finished in P8.

The NASCAR Cup Series raced on Sunday where Cindric also took home a 9th place finish. Ford teammates Ryan Blaney with Team Penske finished P2, Matt DiBenedetto with Wood Brothers Racing finished P5, and Ryan Newman with Roush Fenway Racing finished P10.

 

The NASCAR Cup & Xfinity Series is headed to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan this weekend. The NACAR Cup Series has two remaining races left before the 2021 playoffs stage is set.

33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 422 WINS – 383 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images.

BLANEY WINS AT MICHIGAN

Posted on: August 23rd, 2021
Location: post
BROOKLYN, MI – August 23, 2021 – Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines won their seventh straight NASCAR Cup race at Michigan International Speedway with Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in the FireKeepers Casino 400. This was Blaney’s second win of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Season and Ford retained the Michigan Heritage Trophy, presented to the winning manufacturer at the 2-mile track.
“This is such a big deal for our company, for our employees,” said Mark Rushbrook, the global director of Ford Performance. “To come here and race in front of all of our employees and their friends and families and have Ryan go get that win with Team Penske and Roush Yates power. We are taking the Heritage Trophy back to Dearborn.”

“Congratulations to Ford, Ryan, Todd, Roger, and the entire No. 12 crew for the strong finish and making it 7 wins in a row at Michigan,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “We have always strived to finish strong at Michigan and this year was no exception. We are thankful for the continued leadership and commitment from Ford Motor Company and honored to power these Mustangs.”

Blaney started the race in third position but was quickly shuffled to mid-pack at the start of the race. Blaney and the No. 12 team continued to make adjustments and finished stage 1 & 2 just outside of the top 10. There were 20 lead changes throughout the race and the last half of the race came down to pit strategy and race execution. With 20 laps remaining, there was a brief caution for rain and another following a 7-car incident with 14 to go. With 8 laps remaining, Blaney was able to take the lead and hold off the hard charging second position by 0.077 seconds.

“We come up here every year and know it is important to the Blue Oval and the Ford family and Mr. Penske as well. It is a really big race for all of our group including the Penske side. To have Edsel here, I haven’t seen Edsel in over a year so it was great to have him out. I am excited to get him in victory lane. Everyone from Ford does so much for us. It really is a big family and I am just happy to be a part of it.” commented Blaney.

Matt DiBenedetto with Wood Brothers Racing finished P6, Brad Keselowski with Team Penske in P9, and Chase Briscoe with Stewart-Haas Racing finished P11.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series raced on Saturday at Michigan International Speedway while Ford Performance teammates finished in the top 12 as Riley Herbst with Stewart-Haas Racing finished in P7 and Ryan Sieg with RSS Racing finished P12.

NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series will race at Daytona International Speedway this upcoming weekend. This race will be the last regular season race for the Cup series while the Xfinity series has 4 remaining prior to the playoffs. Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Aric Almirola, and Kevin Harvick have clinched a spot in the playoffs.

33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 423 WINS – 383 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images.

Front Row Motorsports 2021 Driver Announcement

Posted on: January 6th, 2021
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC – January 6, 2021 – Front Row Motorsports announced its driver and crew chief lineup for the 2021 NASCAR season, adding rookie hopeful Anthony Alfredo to its NASCAR Cup Series roster with returning veteran Michael McDowell.

The Bob Jenkins-owned organization will again field two full-time teams in the Cup Series, adding a third car for David Ragan for the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 14th.

Alfredo, nicknamed “Fast Pasta”, joins Front Row after running a majority of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season last year for Richard Childress Racing. The 21-year-old Connecticut native, who was a member of the 2018 NASCAR Next class, will be a Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate competing in his first full NASCAR national series campaign, with his Cup Series debut set for next month’s Daytona 500.

Alfredo will be partnered with crew chief Seth Barbour, who first joined FRM’s Cup Series in 2017.

“This is really an unbelievable moment,” Alfredo said in a release provided by the team. “When you start out racing karts as a kid, you dream of making it to the sport’s top level. I want to thank Bob Jenkins and everyone at Front Row Motorsports for making this dream a reality. I know the challenges ahead, but I’m here to work hard and prove myself.”

McDowell will be back for his fourth consecutive season in Front Row’s No. 34 Ford, paired for a third straight year with crew chief Drew Blickensderfer. The 36-year-old driver finished a career-best 23rd in the final Cup Series standings last year, bolstered by four top-10 results.

“Michael has really solidified his place as our veteran leader,” Jenkins said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that has helped us continue to grow our program.”

Ragan, 35, retired from full-time NASCAR competition after the 2019 campaign, but this year will mark his second straight one-off entry in the Daytona 500. Last season’s effort in The Great American Race yielded a fourth-place finish.

Ragan will again be paired with crew chief Derrick Finley in FRM’s No. 36 Ford. He has two NASCAR Cup Series victories, the most recent of which was Front Row’s first, scored in 2013 at Talladega Superspeedway.

33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 412 WINS – 371 POLES!

*Courtesy Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR 

 

BLANEY WINS TWO IN A ROW, PLAYOFF FIELD SET

Posted on: August 30th, 2021
Location: post
DAYTONA, FL – August 30, 2021 – Ryan Blaney won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on Saturday night, marking his second win in a row after his victory at Michigan. Saturday’s Daytona night race concluded the regular NASCAR Cup Series season and a total of 16 drivers will advance to the playoffs next week at Darlington.
“Congratulations to Ryan, Todd, Roger, and the entire No. 12 crew on two wins in a row and finishing out the regular season strong,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “This was a battle to the end, but Ryan and Todd were able to navigate through the field and earn the well-deserved checkered flag.”
“Momentum is what everything is all about.  Confidence is key and we came into this weekend very confident after last week with our heads held high.  They’ll be a little bit higher this week, so I look forward to getting to Darlington,” commented Blaney.
Ryan Newman with Roush Fenway Racing finished P3, B.J. McLeod with Live Fast Motorsports finished P9, and Josh Bilicki with Rick Ware Racing finished P10.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series raced Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway while two Ford Performance teammates finished in the top 15 as Riley Herbst with Stewart-Haas Racing finished in P10 and Jason White with Ryan-Sieg Racing finished P15.
POWERING THE PLAYOFFS
Six drivers powered by Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines earned a spot in the NASCAR Cup series playoffs: Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Aric Almirola, and Kevin Harvick.
RYAN BLANEY – TIED FOR 2ND 
Ryan Blaney earned his spot in the playoffs after winning at Atlanta, Michigan, and this past weekend at Daytona. This year marks his 5th consecutive season in the playoffs. Earlier in the year, Blaney led 157 of 500 laps at Martinsville and looks forward to leveraging his knowledge and success at this track on October 31st.  Blaney also has won at Talladega and looks forward to this superspeedway race on October 3rd.

JOEY LOGANO – #9

Joey Logano earned a spot in the playoffs after winning the inaugural race at the Bristol Dirt track in March. This year he has had 8 Top 5’s and 13 Top 10’s. Logano is a 27-time Cup winner and previous NCS champion. He is one of only a handful of drivers with at least four Championship 4 appearances and aims to advance this year as well.

BRAD KESELOWSKI – #10

Brad Keselowski earned his spot in the playoffs after winning at Talladega in April. Keselowski has had a lot of success at Talladega: this track marked his first Cup series win and a total of 6 wins at this track. He looks to use this experience when the series visits on October 3rd. In total, Brad has 35 Cup series victories and has been to the playoffs 9 times in the past 10 years. After finishing 2nd at last year’s championship, Brad is eager to take another swing at the top spot this year.

Our team at Roush Yates Engines succeeds with support from our
world-class partners. 
MICHAEL MCDOWELL – TIED FOR 12TH
Michael McDowell earned his spot after capturing a win at the Daytona 500 season-opener in February. This win marked the first time that a Ford Mustang won the infamous race. 2021 marks his 14th season in the Cup series and winning one of the series’ biggest races was a defining moment in his career. McDowell is fast at superspeedways and road courses and looks forward to racing at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval in the playoffs.
ARIC ALMIROLA – TIED FOR 12TH

Aric Almirola shook up the playoff picture late in the season by winning at New Hampshire and clinched his playoff spot. This year marks his 4th year in the playoffs after making it 3 years in a row in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Almirola has been fast at superspeedways with 8 consecutive top 10’s at Talladega and looks to use his experience when the series visits the track.

KEVIN HARVICK – #16

Kevin Harvick clinched his playoff spot based on points. Harvick has 119 combined series wins which makes him 3rd all-time in NASCAR history. Last year, he won a career-high 9 races and led over 1500 laps. He was the top seeded driver heading into the playoffs last year and will use that experience to his advantage. This year, he has had 6 top 5 finishes and 16 top 10 finishes. Harvick holds the all-time record for Cup series wins at Phoenix and looks forward to the playoff-closing race.

33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 424 WINS – 383 POLES!
About Roush Yates Engines 
Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class ISO 9001 / AS9100 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

3 Series – 18 Teams – 81 Races

CINDRIC CUP SERIES DEBUT IN DAYTONA 500

Posted on: January 20th, 2021
Location: post

MOORESVILLE, NC – January 20, 2021 – Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Austin Cindric will look to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut next month in “The Great American Race.” Cindric will drive the No. 33 Ford Mustang for Team Penske as he attempts to qualify for the 63rd Daytona 500. Miles Stanley, who has worked as race engineer for Team Penske’s No. 12 and No. 22 Cup Series teams, will serve as crew chief for Cindric and the No. 33 Ford team in 2021.

“There is a lot to be excited about heading into Daytona,” said Cindric. “It doesn’t really even need to be said that the Daytona 500 is the biggest crown jewel race in NASCAR and one of the biggest races in the world – so to have a shot to be in the show while driving for Roger Penske is a big opportunity. Qualifying our way into the race as an ‘open’ car will be a big challenge. I look forward to working with Miles and all of the guys on the No. 33 team, while also continuing my focus on winning back-to-back Xfinity Series Championships.”

As he tries to earn a starting spot in the Daytona 500, Cindric hopes to make his Cup Series debut following a season that saw him score six victories and 19 top-five finishes on his way to the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. The 22-year-old Cindric will return to defend his NASCAR Xfinity Series title this season and he will also compete in select Cup Series races in the No. 33 Ford Mustang before he joins the series full-time in 2022, driving for Wood Brothers Racing.

Stanley joined Team Penske prior to the start of the 2013 race season and served as an engineer for crew chief Todd Gordon and driver Joey Logano.  During his first seven seasons, the No. 22 team amassed 21 wins (including the 2015 Daytona 500), 100 top-five finishes,159 top-10s and the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Championship before Stanley transitioned to race engineer for the No. 12 Ford team and driver Ryan Blaney last season. Prior to joining Team Penske, Stanley served as crew chief for Robby Gordon’s NASCAR operation.

“Ever since I joined Team Penske in 2013, I’ve been able to grow as an engineer and learn from some of the best in the business,” said Stanley. “Now I get the chance to become a Cup Series crew chief with one of the formidable organizations in the sport, which is an amazing opportunity. To get to do it with Austin at Daytona International Speedway is a perfect recipe for success. I look forward to working with him and hitting the ground running with the No. 33 Ford team in Daytona and the other Cup Series races that Austin runs in 2021.”

Stanley will continue to work with the No. 12 team during all of the other 2021 Cup Series races.  Additional 2021 Cup Series races for Cindric and the No. 33 Ford Mustang team will be announced in the future.

*Courtesy of Team Penske

Ford Performance Sweeps Daytona!

Posted on: February 15th, 2021
Location: post
Daytona Beach, FL – February 15, 2021 – Michael McDowell and Austin Cindric brought home two victories for Ford Motor Co., sweeping the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity races at Daytona. McDowell, from Front Row Motorsports, won his first Daytona 500 and NASCAR Cup Series race. While Cindric captured his first Xfinity win at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night for Team Penske.
“Congratulations to Michael, Drew, Jerry, Bob, and the Front Row Motorsports organization for winning the Daytona 500,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “This was such an amazing weekend of racing, to win both the Cup and Xfinity races is such a blessing. Congrats, to Austin, Brian, Roger, and Team Penske for winning the Xfinity race and marking Roush Yates Engines’ 150th NASCAR Xfinity win. I’m so proud of our entire team and our partnership with Ford Performance to power these fast Fords.”
It was a story book ending for McDowell, recording the Ford Mustang’s first Daytona 500 win and his first win in his 358th career start. McDowell is the eighth driver to get his first win at Daytona.

“I just can’t believe it,” McDowell commented. “The only thing I can think of is just God is so good. For so many years I’ve just been grinding it out trying to stay in this sport. Bob Jenkins gave me a great opportunity to go full-time in a competitive car and Drew Blickensderfer and my whole entire team we’ve been working so hard for years to get into this position and I’m so thankful to Love’s Travel Stops and Speeco and Ford, Doug Yates. All of my Ford partners out there. I just can’t believe it. I’m so thankful. It’s amazing.”

The 500-mile, Great American Race all came down to the last lap. McDowell, following Ford teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, found himself in position to take the lead after Logano and Keselowski had an on-track incident in Turn 3 of the final lap. McDowell took the lead, and it became a drag race to the checkered flag with Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon. After a video tape review, McDowell was announced the official winner, beating Elliott by over a car length as the raced ended under caution.

“There’s no better way to start the season than by winning NASCAR’s biggest race,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “There aren’t many things that Mustang hasn’t achieved in its storied history, but winning the Daytona 500 was one of them and we’re excited about adding that to the list.”

Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick finished P4 and Cole Custer P11, while Team Penske teammates Logano and Keselowski finished P12 and P13 respectively.

Austin Cindric, in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang, brought home the first NASCAR Xfinity Series win of 2021. This marked Cindric’s first win at Daytona International Speedway, securing his position in the 2021 Playoffs to defend his 2020 Championship title.
In an overtime finish, the current NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, Cindric held off a hard charging Brett Moffitt on the last lap, to take the checkered flag .104 seconds in front of Moffitt to record his ninth career win. This also marked the first Xfinity win at Daytona for team owner Roger Penske.

“What a way to kick off the season,” commented Cindric. “I’m really proud of the speed our boys brought with me in the Verizon 5G Ford Mustang. I really feel like over the no practice races we made our superspeedway cars better, so to be able to showcase that tonight makes me really proud, proud of the effort of the guys in the shop and obviously our road crew. To start off our season like this is incredible.”

Ford Performance teammates led a combined 67 laps out of the 122-lap race, led by Cindric with 28 laps and newcomer Ryan Sieg from RSS Racing with 23 laps before he was collected in an on-track incident to finish 31st. Jason White of NXT Motorsports finished tenth and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finished 26th.
The NASCAR Series will be back at Daytona International Speedway this weekend to run the Road Course.
33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 414 WINS – 371 POLES!
*Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images