-
Home
- TV Shows
- TV Schedule
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
Sprint Cup
CUP: Ford Teams Running FR9
Most of Ford’s NASCAR Sprint Cup teams will be racing the new FR9 engine...
Matt Kenseth is third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. (Photo: Getty Images)
Roush Fenway Racing has so far this season seen modest performance gains overall, but no big breakthroughs.
On the positive side of the ledger, drivers Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle are second and third, respectively, in points, and there’s no question the team is running better overall than it did last year.
On the flip side, the team has yet to score its first victory of 2010.
That could change this weekend in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.
For the first time, all four RFR Ford Fusions will run Ford’s new-generation FR9 engine in a race, as will the four Richard Petty Motorsports Fords. The new engine, which is said to provide superior cooling and center of gravity, as well as better handling, is gradually being phased in this year.
“It’s really the first across-the-board running for the FR9,” said Ford Racing engineer David Simon. “We ran them at Daytona, of course, in the (Budweiser) Shootout across-the-board, but this is really the first full race for it as the primary engine for us. The reason it’s a milestone is that we’ve gone through the validation process on the plate package, so, at this point, we’re ready to race the FR9 full-time in restrictor-plate form.”
At Talladega, of course, all teams run engines with restrictor plates that cut down the air-fuel mix and reduce power about 40 percent. The plate engines have a number of different components absent from the so-called “open” engines run everywhere else.
Simon said at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the Ford teams all will use open versions of the FR9.
“In the second half of the season, as the validation process gets completed, the FR9 will become the primary race engine for us in the open and plate races,” he said.
RFR co-owner Jack Roush, meanwhile, is optimistic, especially given that his team won the most recent Talladega race with the now-departed Jamie McMurray last October.
“We certainly had more success in restrictor-plate racing last year than I had expected and had historically been the case,” said Roush. “Todd Parrott did a great job organizing the guys. Jimmy Fennig did a great job. All the crew chiefs cooperated. You work along and you feel like you’re making a maximum effort on everything, and you kind of get yourself hunkered down into what your expectation is and occasionally something surprises you. The fact that it all came together for restrictor-plate racing was a pleasant surprise.”
Roush said the team’s speed in the Daytona 500 earlier this year validated his optimism for this weekend.
“We ran well at Daytona,” Roush said. “The spoiler will be a little bit of a change for the car, so there may be some winners coming out of there that we’re not thinking about, and there may be a reason why it works out to their own detriment that I’m not aware of, but, right now, I’m very hopeful that Talladega will be good for us.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEEDtv.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame Grand Opening is set for May 11, 2010. Outdoor Opening Ceremonies are May 11th from 9 to 10 am ET free of charge, open to the public. Outdoor festivities including driver appearances and concerts May 11th from 10 am until 8 pm ET open to the public, free of charge. Tickets to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame are on sale now at www.NASCARHall.com or by calling 877-231-2010. The countdown to the NASCAR Hall of Fame is on! Visit www.NASCARHall.com/50days for daily updates about the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
On the positive side of the ledger, drivers Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle are second and third, respectively, in points, and there’s no question the team is running better overall than it did last year.
On the flip side, the team has yet to score its first victory of 2010.
That could change this weekend in Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.
For the first time, all four RFR Ford Fusions will run Ford’s new-generation FR9 engine in a race, as will the four Richard Petty Motorsports Fords. The new engine, which is said to provide superior cooling and center of gravity, as well as better handling, is gradually being phased in this year.
“It’s really the first across-the-board running for the FR9,” said Ford Racing engineer David Simon. “We ran them at Daytona, of course, in the (Budweiser) Shootout across-the-board, but this is really the first full race for it as the primary engine for us. The reason it’s a milestone is that we’ve gone through the validation process on the plate package, so, at this point, we’re ready to race the FR9 full-time in restrictor-plate form.”
At Talladega, of course, all teams run engines with restrictor plates that cut down the air-fuel mix and reduce power about 40 percent. The plate engines have a number of different components absent from the so-called “open” engines run everywhere else.
Simon said at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the Ford teams all will use open versions of the FR9.
“In the second half of the season, as the validation process gets completed, the FR9 will become the primary race engine for us in the open and plate races,” he said.
RFR co-owner Jack Roush, meanwhile, is optimistic, especially given that his team won the most recent Talladega race with the now-departed Jamie McMurray last October.
“We certainly had more success in restrictor-plate racing last year than I had expected and had historically been the case,” said Roush. “Todd Parrott did a great job organizing the guys. Jimmy Fennig did a great job. All the crew chiefs cooperated. You work along and you feel like you’re making a maximum effort on everything, and you kind of get yourself hunkered down into what your expectation is and occasionally something surprises you. The fact that it all came together for restrictor-plate racing was a pleasant surprise.”
Roush said the team’s speed in the Daytona 500 earlier this year validated his optimism for this weekend.
“We ran well at Daytona,” Roush said. “The spoiler will be a little bit of a change for the car, so there may be some winners coming out of there that we’re not thinking about, and there may be a reason why it works out to their own detriment that I’m not aware of, but, right now, I’m very hopeful that Talladega will be good for us.”
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEEDtv.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame Grand Opening is set for May 11, 2010. Outdoor Opening Ceremonies are May 11th from 9 to 10 am ET free of charge, open to the public. Outdoor festivities including driver appearances and concerts May 11th from 10 am until 8 pm ET open to the public, free of charge. Tickets to enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame are on sale now at www.NASCARHall.com or by calling 877-231-2010. The countdown to the NASCAR Hall of Fame is on! Visit www.NASCARHall.com/50days for daily updates about the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Shake and Bake: Recent Posts
-
Mustang GT + Mark Martin's Engine = 800HP Of Street-Legal Awesomeness »
-
Kurt Busch Is Focused, But Is He A Chase Contender? »
-
Ricky vs. Danica: All-Star Race - Who's On Top This Week? »
-
Feud of the Week: Joe Gibbs Racing vs. the Sprint All-Star Race »
-
Race Day Blog: Sights and Sounds From the Sprint All-Star Race »
-
Daryl Wright Breaks It Down With Pit Road Rapper Kenyatta Houston »
-
Daryl ' Vodkatime ' Wright Takes To Charlotte Motor Speedway »
-
Brad Keselowski's All-Star Car Features Awkward Kyle Busch Photo »
Kansas Speedway
LATEST HEADLINES: NASCAR
-
DW: 48 Team Is Redefining Excellence
Jimmie Johnson now stands alone as the only four-time winner of the… -
CUP: EXCLUSIVE - No Crew Chief Changes At SHR
Ryan Newman had the best finish of any of the Stewart-Haas drivers… -
CUP: More All-Star Frustration For JGR
Matt Kenseth had a disappointing Sprint All-Star Race finish…… -
CUP: Bono Works Through Pain
Kevin “Bono” Manion has fought gout for a decade…… -
CUP: All-Star Power Rankings
Jimmie Johnson moves back to the top of the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com… -
CUP: Johnson Destroys Another Format
For a record fourth time, Jimmie Johnson rolls home first in Sprint… -
CUP: Busches Falter In Final Shootout
Kyle, Kurt Busch lose top spots on pit road prior to 10-lap finale…… - More News
