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Sprint Cup
VIDEO: Roush Welcomes Mustang’s Return
The Ford Mustang will race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the first time this weekend....
Jack Roush talks about the return of his beloved Ford Mustang to the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. (Image: SPEED)
Jack Roush is a Ford Mustang kind of guy.
The 68-year-old NASCAR team owner’s first new car was one of the original 1964 Ford Mustangs that he purchased just after graduating college in Berea, Ky. In his long racing career, Roush has won literally hundreds of drag races and sports car races with Mustangs.
Through about 250 Ford dealerships nationwide, Roush sells high-performance, limited-edition custom Mustangs built for enthusiasts.
And in his spare time, Roush flies a vintage World War II-era P-51 Mustang, one of the best fighter planes in history.
So it would be safe to say that of all the people anticipating this weekend’s arrival of the new Ford Mustang to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Roush would be at the top of the list.
“Mustang as a brand and Ford Motor Co. as a manufacturer affiliate, has been a partner for me in my success in racing, from drag racing to road racing,” said Roush. “And we look forward to taking the pony car and what had been the excitement of the entry-level sports cars for youngsters as the car came on to the scene back in the 1960s ... and carry some of those consumer interests to the race track and follow through in stock-car racing.”
For Roush and Ford Motor Co., NASCAR decision’s to allow the Mustang and other so-called pony cars to compete in the Nationwide Series is a hugely significant event.
“We just got a car that has more brand identity than the traditional Nationwide car has,” Roush said. “The Mustang has got very exciting styling cues and brand identifiable cues that are going to excite fans. It’ll certainly make me stand a little straighter, a little prouder when I go through the line before the race starts.”
The Mustang, along with the Dodge Challenger and new versions of the Chevrolet Impala and Toyota Camry will all race Friday night in the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The race be the first of four this year for the new NNS car, which will run the entire schedule in 2011. In this year’s races with the old car, the Ford teams run Fusions and the Dodge teams Chargers. Chevy and Toyota will run the same nameplates with both generations of chassis.
Roush said he expects the Mustang to have a long shelf life, both inside and outside NASCAR. “The Mustang is a nameplate that I think is going to be with Ford Motor Co. for the rest of our life, for decades to come, based on all the excitement and support that the brand has,” said Roush. “To have it at the forefront of one of our racing series at the highest level is something that I’m really excited about.”
And Roush’s drivers are looking forward to the new car as well.
“It’s gonna be awesome. The fans have heard about it and seen pictures of it, but not many of them have actually been there to watch it, said Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who at Daytona will drive the No. 6 Blackwell Angus Beef Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing. “It’s gonna be cool to have them all painted up because up until now they’ve all been in primer, so to have them painted with all the door decals and tailpipes on them like our Mustang has is gonna be awesome. Obviously, the night race at Daytona is a cool race anyway, and to have the new Mustang come out, which I think is the best-looking car out of the new Nationwide cars, I think the fans will agree and there’s just gonna be a lot of excitement going into it.”
“People relate to the Mustang and they enjoy it,” said Carl Edwards, who will drive the No. 60 Copart/Fastenal Mustang at Daytona. “I’ve had more people excited about that car than any of the other changes we’ve done with the bodies or the spoilers or the wings. People are pumped about seeing Mustangs race, so I think it’s gonna be really neat.”
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 68-year-old NASCAR team owner’s first new car was one of the original 1964 Ford Mustangs that he purchased just after graduating college in Berea, Ky. In his long racing career, Roush has won literally hundreds of drag races and sports car races with Mustangs.
Through about 250 Ford dealerships nationwide, Roush sells high-performance, limited-edition custom Mustangs built for enthusiasts.
And in his spare time, Roush flies a vintage World War II-era P-51 Mustang, one of the best fighter planes in history.
So it would be safe to say that of all the people anticipating this weekend’s arrival of the new Ford Mustang to the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Roush would be at the top of the list.
“Mustang as a brand and Ford Motor Co. as a manufacturer affiliate, has been a partner for me in my success in racing, from drag racing to road racing,” said Roush. “And we look forward to taking the pony car and what had been the excitement of the entry-level sports cars for youngsters as the car came on to the scene back in the 1960s ... and carry some of those consumer interests to the race track and follow through in stock-car racing.”
For Roush and Ford Motor Co., NASCAR decision’s to allow the Mustang and other so-called pony cars to compete in the Nationwide Series is a hugely significant event.
“We just got a car that has more brand identity than the traditional Nationwide car has,” Roush said. “The Mustang has got very exciting styling cues and brand identifiable cues that are going to excite fans. It’ll certainly make me stand a little straighter, a little prouder when I go through the line before the race starts.”
The Mustang, along with the Dodge Challenger and new versions of the Chevrolet Impala and Toyota Camry will all race Friday night in the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway. The race be the first of four this year for the new NNS car, which will run the entire schedule in 2011. In this year’s races with the old car, the Ford teams run Fusions and the Dodge teams Chargers. Chevy and Toyota will run the same nameplates with both generations of chassis.
Roush said he expects the Mustang to have a long shelf life, both inside and outside NASCAR. “The Mustang is a nameplate that I think is going to be with Ford Motor Co. for the rest of our life, for decades to come, based on all the excitement and support that the brand has,” said Roush. “To have it at the forefront of one of our racing series at the highest level is something that I’m really excited about.”
And Roush’s drivers are looking forward to the new car as well.
“It’s gonna be awesome. The fans have heard about it and seen pictures of it, but not many of them have actually been there to watch it, said Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who at Daytona will drive the No. 6 Blackwell Angus Beef Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing. “It’s gonna be cool to have them all painted up because up until now they’ve all been in primer, so to have them painted with all the door decals and tailpipes on them like our Mustang has is gonna be awesome. Obviously, the night race at Daytona is a cool race anyway, and to have the new Mustang come out, which I think is the best-looking car out of the new Nationwide cars, I think the fans will agree and there’s just gonna be a lot of excitement going into it.”
“People relate to the Mustang and they enjoy it,” said Carl Edwards, who will drive the No. 60 Copart/Fastenal Mustang at Daytona. “I’ve had more people excited about that car than any of the other changes we’ve done with the bodies or the spoilers or the wings. People are pumped about seeing Mustangs race, so I think it’s gonna be really neat.”
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.
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