Ford may field Mustang in Nationwide NASCAR Series

[SVT_MAN]

http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/....car/index.html

 

Doug Hervey, manager of Ford Racing Technology's North American operations, said the manufacturer was "95 percent certain" of what its model would be, but was not ready to announce it.

 

"We're leaning toward one over the other," Hervey said. "We've tested scale models of the car and will continue to do that, and we're totally on-track with our submission plans."

 

You won't find it anywhere in the article that Ford will field the Mustang, but my guess is that they will. NASCAR has been looking at pony-car type cars, and now that Ford, GM, and Chrysler will have one for 2009 or so, my guess is that they all three willl be fielding the Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, respectively.

 

Toyota's quote pretty much sums it up:

 

“

NASCAR was looking for a pony car, or a car that's different than what we have on the Cup Series.

 

Toyota has decided to use their Camry. If the rest of the big three use their pony cars, it will be pretty funny seeing a Camry racing around with a bunch of pony / muscle cars

 

 

I somehow doubt that Ford would choose the Taurus, Focus, or Fiesta instead of the Mustang. If it was the Fusion they were chosing, then that would be announced already - more than likely.

Edited April 22, 2008 by SVT_MAN

[Edstock]

"Right now, all the testing has been done in the wind tunnel as we work on the manufacturers' individual identity pieces,"

So they're fake cars.

 

"Individual identity pieces". Ford doesn't need this. This is for trailer-park trash and other morons.

[V8 Ford]

Toyota has decided to use their Camry. If the rest of the big three use their pony cars, it will be pretty funny seeing a Camry racing around with a bunch of pony / muscle cars

Would look embarrassing if the "Camry" beat the "Mustangs", "Challengers", and "Camaros".

 

I wonder what kind of modifications would need to be made to the retro pony car facade to make it aerodynamic .

Edited April 22, 2008 by V8 Ford

[SVT_MAN]

So they're fake cars.

 

"Individual identity pieces". Ford doesn't need this. This is for trailer-park trash and other morons.

 

So basically, people like me ... Not sure which category I fit into though. I was trying to figure out whether it was the trailer trash or moron. I'm guessing the moron since my house doesn't have wheels. (Then again, if you owned a Bentley [yes it has wheels and yes it moves] and lived in it, would that make you trailer trash too?)

 

 

 

By the way, fake or not, whether you like NASCAR or not, you cannot deny the safety of NASCAR these days:

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fg-Dw7PHnME&feature=related

 

I'd like to see an F1 car hit the wall at 160 mph at that angle and see the driver walk away like that. Ain't happening.

 

My point is, you don't really want those guys racing Mustangs and such at those speeds on ovals unless you want them all dead. The current NASCAR has safety advantages that a car company couldn't justify putting into a steet-going car ...

 

Even with a full roll cage, I doubt if a real Mustang hit the wall at that speed that the driver would have walked away.

Edited April 22, 2008 by SVT_MAN

[armadamaster]

I somehow doubt that Ford would chose the Taurus, Focus, or Fiesta instead of the Mustang. If it was the Fusion they were chosing, then that would be announced already - more than likely.

 

Especially since they didn't use the Five Hundread, the old Taurus' official replacement, they chose the Fusion back then instead.

[Roadrunner]

This was in the works as far back as last year to have the Busch series be a different car make and specs.

 

Proposal floated around was:

Mustang - Camaro - Challenger - Solara Coupe

[Roadrunner]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fg-Dw7PHnME&feature=related

 

I'd like to see an F1 car hit the wall at 160 mph at that angle and see the driver walk away like that. Ain't happening.

 

True, but I'm thinking maybe Berger's crash at Tamburello in '89 might hold similar facets.

 

I would put in Luciano Burti 2001 also, which had a similar nature to Jimmie Johnson's Busch series wreck at Watkins Glen around 1999 that was the talk of the sport.

 

If Martin Donnelly had walked away unscathed from Jerez 1990, that would have been miraculous. Instead it ruined his career.

 

YouTube:

Burti: http://youtube.com/watch?v=iFMihMJaHrM

Donnelly: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZAkRvc9syoo&feature=related (not for kids)

Edited April 22, 2008 by Roadrunner

[Roadrunner]

Oh and both J. Villeneuve and Zonta at Spa.

[Blue II]

So they're fake cars.

 

"Individual identity pieces". Ford doesn't need this. This is for trailer-park trash and other morons.

 

That sure is a "Gawd Awfull" comment to make, especially given Ford's rich history in NASCAR.

[FordBuyer]

That sure is a "Gawd Awfull" comment to make, especially given Ford's rich history in NASCAR.

 

Basically, Ford is deciding whether to put the Mustang, Fusion, or Taurus decal on the front nose with headlamp decal. All the cars are the same except for decals. I don't see what difference it makes what they call it. It's just a Car of Tomorrow, not a Fusion, T-Bird, Taurus, or Mustang.

[NickF1011]

Basically, Ford is deciding whether to put the Mustang, Fusion, or Taurus decal on the front nose with headlamp decal. All the cars are the same except for decals. I don't see what difference it makes what they call it. It's just a Car of Tomorrow, not a Fusion, T-Bird, Taurus, or Mustang.

 

Even "Car of Tomorrow" is a silly name. They are racing it now. It's a "Car of Today". Heck, with the engine tech they are still using, it's more a "Car of Several Decades Ago".

[Ralph Greene]

So basically, people like me ... Not sure which category I fit into though. I was trying to figure out whether it was the trailer trash or moron. I'm guessing the moron since my house doesn't have wheels. (Then again, if you owned a Bentley [yes it has wheels and yes it moves] and lived in it, would that make you trailer trash too?)

 

 

 

By the way, fake or not, whether you like NASCAR or not, you cannot deny the safety of NASCAR these days:

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fg-Dw7PHnME&feature=related

 

I'd like to see an F1 car hit the wall at 160 mph at that angle and see the driver walk away like that. Ain't happening.

 

My point is, you don't really want those guys racing Mustangs and such at those speeds on ovals unless you want them all dead. The current NASCAR has safety advantages that a car company couldn't justify putting into a steet-going car ...

 

Even with a full roll cage, I doubt if a real Mustang hit the wall at that speed that the driver would have walked away.

 

If they decide to run Mustangs and other "Pony" cars, they won't be real Mustangs. They will just be same old race cars they use now. With some fabbed up sheet metal with decals to give the look of a Mustang. Then NASCAR will make all the sheet metal have the same aero numbers to make sure competition is level. So I'm all for it. The curent Nationwide cars look to me same as Sprint Cup cars, though the sheet metal is a tad different.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Ralph Greene

[Ralph Greene]

Even "Car of Tomorrow" is a silly name. They are racing it now. It's a "Car of Today". Heck, with the engine tech they are still using, it's more a "Car of Several Decades Ago".

 

I used to think that way. And agree push rod technology is old, old, old tech.

 

But....they are now making about 900 HP and turning those 358 inch engines about 9600 now, for 500 mile races plus a couple more hundred miles of practice, so there is some very hi tech being applied to those old low tech enignes. I think you you have to give them a lot of credit for that power and reliability....especially for the cost.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Ralph Greene

[NickF1011]

I used to think that way. And agree push rod technology is old, old, old tech.

 

But....they are now making about 900 HP and turning those 358 inch engines about 9600 now, for 500 mile races plus a couple more hundred miles of practice, so there is some very hi tech being applied to those old low tech enignes. I think you you have to give them a lot of credit for that power and reliability....especially for the cost.

 

Oh, I'm not saying the technology is bad in any way...just that it's not really pushing any boundaries as far as innovation is concerned. Using the "Car of Tomorrow" tag makes it sound like it's some super-high-tech feel-good vehicle that you would see in Disneyland or something.

Edited April 22, 2008 by NickF1011

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Don't NASCAR drivers get a bit dizzy racing round in circles all day it's a boring sport to watch on TV it sends me to sleep. But at least you have overtaking in it, and its a good spectator sport as you can watch all the race from the grandstand. F1 can be boring Monaco is just an ego trip for the rich and nothing more than a glorified procession through the streets of Monte Carlo, you only have to watch qualifying to see who will win the race. Champ Car was the best faster than F1 and the l liked the way you all had to have the same engine so everybody had a chance, unlike F1 the team with the biggest cheque book always seems to win. It's shame last weekend was the last for Champ Car.

[Ralph Greene]

Oh, I'm not saying the technology is bad in any way...just that it's not really pushing any boundaries as far as innovation is concerned. Using the "Car of Tomorrow" tag makes it sound like it's some super-high-tech feel-good vehicle that you would see in Disneyland or something.

They could have picked a better name than "car of tommorrow" I agree. NASCAR wanted to accomplish a couple things with this car, without costing teams too many millions to update, so they spread it over a couple years.

 

This newer body is less aero efficient, slowing the cars down some, allowing NASCAR to give back some HP on restrictor tracks, hopefully putting some racing back in the action with sling shot passing, etc. They also were able to put the driver closer to middle of cop pit, and raise the bar over drivers head some, thus making a much safer race car.

 

It hasn't exactly worked like they hoped. The cars handle so differently, whether leading up front, or back in traffic, that racing has now just gotten down to track position after cautions. So it has become a strategy thing about whether you are more likely to win by not changing tires and staying up front, or if you can come thru the pack with new tires.

[Edstock]

That sure is a "Gawd Awfull" comment to make, especially given Ford's rich history in NASCAR.

That was then, and this is now.

 

From STOCK car origins, we now have headlight decals. Maybe fake "stock" cars are good enough for you, but they're not good enough for me.

 

IMHO, much of the wreckage we see in NASCAR is caused by what the vehicles have become. Low ride-heights and ground effects and slick tires and restrictor plates are responsible.

 

If NASCAR used production-derived platforms, like they use in OZ V-8 racing, FIA Super-Touring and WRC, they could run without ground-effects, at normal ride-heights, on tires with tread, which, IMHO would go a long way to making the sport real again, like when Petty and Lorenzen and Peterson were driving.

[FordBuyer]

Don't NASCAR drivers get a bit dizzy racing round in circles all day it's a boring sport to watch on TV it sends me to sleep. But at least you have overtaking in it, and its a good spectator sport as you can watch all the race from the grandstand. F1 can be boring Monaco is just an ego trip for the rich and nothing more than a glorified procession through the streets of Monte Carlo, you only have to watch qualifying to see who will win the race. Champ Car was the best faster than F1 and the l liked the way you all had to have the same engine so everybody had a chance, unlike F1 the team with the biggest cheque book always seems to win. It's shame last weekend was the last for Champ Car.

 

I really liked CHAMP car races a couple years ago when they were all using Ford Cosworth engines. I don't know how many of you have heard a Ford Cosworth engine at full song, but they are sweet sounding. Nothing else sounds quite like them. They kind of sound like a billion bumble bees in closed in space. I remember when F1 raced in Downtown Detroit streets, and the sound between the buildings was awesome. Most of the cars back then were 1,000+ hp turbos that sounded horrible, but there were still a few normally aspirated Ford Cosworths in race, and they sounded 50 times better.

[Drake]

I wish FoMoCo would build an LMP1 car for ALMS and LeMans. Love to see a Lincoln prototype out there competing with Acura, Audi, Porsche, etc.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Drake

[NLPRacing]

From what I've heard, is that GM & Chrysler are not interested in running "Pony Cars". I'm willing to bet that we'll see Ford run the Fusion, Chevy run the Malibu & Dodge run the Avenger in Nationwide and Ford will switch to Taurus, Chevy will stay with Impala & Dodge will stay with the Charger in the Cup. Toyota will probably run the Camry stickers in both Nationwide & Cup.

 

Just my $.02

[RichardJensen]

What I want to know.

 

Does any of this really matter?

 

Ooo. Different stickers on a common template. Wow. That certainly is something for Nascar Nation to get all fired up and in a tizz about.

 

This is about as meaningful as Jeff Gordon switching sock colors.

 

But knowing Nascar, they'd find a way to generate a dozen or more press releases about that too. "Gordon dropping white athletic crew sock for heather gray. Claims it will help him connect better with fans."

[SVT_MAN]

It probably doesn't matter. However, it really depends on what NASCAR does with this car for the Nationwide series.

 

Let me clarify: It is NOT the Car of Tomorrow / Today that is going to be the new car in this series. It will be a totally different car, and it is supposed to be very close in shape to the production cars. NASCAR is trying to differentiate the Nationwide Series from the Cup Series. Honestly, if they look close to the real cars, this series will be much better than their premiere Sprint Cup series.

[NickF1011]

I'm sort of hoping the Mustang goes nowhere near NASCAR. I don't want the car in my garage to be associated with that mess of an organization in any way.

[RichardJensen]

SVT: The only way it will be different is if the cars are actually, conceptually, honestly different from the Sprint Cup cars.

 

IMO, the biggest mistake Nascar made--apart from its fundamental error: racing 1960s cars--is giving into the "they have an aerodynamic advantage" argument.

 

Once they did that, the writing on the wall was plain to see: common templates.

 

IMO, stock body work plus a 'choose any 6' combination of aerodynamic enhancements (6 being a rather arbitrary number) would allow a bit of field leveling without resorting to the lowest common denominator (a common template). Say, an 8" rear spoiler OR a 4" front airdam; lower ground clearance or aerodynamic diffusers, etc.

 

Of course the onus would be on Nascar to ensure that the aerodynamic enhancements are truly fair, and that might be more work than they want to put into things.

[SVT_MAN]

Richard: I agree entirely. I am totally against the direction NASCAR is taking their Sprint Cup program. They are moving closer and closer to an IROC style of competition. If they're going to go IROC, why not just force everybody to drive a common brand with the same setup under it?

 

By the way, do I need to remind anybody that IROC no longer exists?

 

But at the same time, I somewhat disagree with this:

 

IMO, the biggest mistake Nascar made--apart from its fundamental error: racing 1960s cars--is giving into the "they have an aerodynamic advantage" argument.

 

NASCAR has been moving closer and closer towards full parity towards that time and through doing that, they grew the spot immensely. No one likes seeing his / her brand beat up on on the racetrack. That is why NASCAR has parity - to grow the sport. I personally think that backing off from parity would be healthy for the sport though. I would like to see what people could do if they opened up the rules ...

 

I'm sort of hoping the Mustang goes nowhere near NASCAR. I don't want the car in my garage to be associated with that mess of an organization in any way.

 

Despite how I loathe many aspects of NASCAR, as a business, they are actually pretty impressive ... I don't think they are the "mess" you speak of at all.

 

 

 

Understand, I am not really a huge NASCAR fan. I do watch races from time to time. My biggest tie to NASCAR is actually Matt Kenseth because he pretty close to where I live. I love watching him race in short track events around here (which, unsurprisingly, provide 100x better racing then NASCAR).

 

I wish NASCAR had more variety on the schedule in terms of where they went. I'd like to see 25% of the races in a season on a road course. If any of you watched Mexico City Nationwide race this past Sunday, it was a GREAT race. Lots of exciting passing and drama. Despite the fact that one of my least favorite drivers and car manufacturers won, I loved the race.

Edited April 22, 2008 by SVT_MAN