blksn8k2 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Ford Racing has a lot to crow about lately. The Mustang Boss 302R has won its class in the last two Continental Tire series races. The Mustangs raced in the NHRA AA/FC (funny car) class have dominated most of the races this year using the Boss 500 engine designed and supplied by Ford Racing. Cars driven by Robert Hight and Mike Neff from John Force Racing took the top two spots at the NHRA Summernationals in Topeka, Kansas over the weekend. The FR9 engine is now being used in both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. The Roush Fenway Mustangs driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr and Carl Edwards took the top two spots in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Newton, Iowa yesterday. The Roush Fenway Fusion driven by Carl Edwards won the million dollar + to win NASCAR All Star race Saturday night in Charlotte, NC. All four of the Roush Fenway Fusions finished in the top eight in that race. David Ragan, who finished eighth, also won the preliminary qualifying race in a Roush Fenway Fusion. Fords also won both the Nationwide (Edwards) and the Sprint Cup (Matt Kenseth) NASCAR races at Dover, Del last weekend. Fords have also been winning races and finishing well in Formula D (drifting), WRC, off-road, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theDuff Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 First On Race Day! :happy feet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVTCobra Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 What happened to their push to get back into Pro Stock? I am tired of seeing that division dominated by GM and Dodge. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bifs66 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 In the past, any consistent wins by the same manufacturer (unless they were a GM brand) would have automatically triggered NASCAR/NHRA/etc rules changes. I suppose we'll have to see if history repeats itself. While Ford's effort into Pro Stock hasn't been as successful as the NASCAR one, at least there is development program ongoing in Pro Stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stray Kat Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 In the past, any consistent wins by the same manufacturer (unless they were a GM brand) would have automatically triggered NASCAR/NHRA/etc rules changes. I suppose we'll have to see if history repeats itself. While Ford's effort into Pro Stock hasn't been as successful as the NASCAR one, at least there is development program ongoing in Pro Stock. The Ford pro stocks are not direct factory backed efforts like the Ford funny car teams. Ford makes the bodies, cyl heads and blocks and sells them to interested parties. There may be some technical help but it is limited. I think Ford may wait till pro stock changes fundamentally ie:production based cars and drivelines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 That All Star race with Carl Edwards was something else. His car was flying around that track. Now there are conspiracy theorists trying to say he intentionally wrecked his car by sliding it through the grass in celebration... riiight. I'm sure he would do that, considering he wrecked an awesome car that he probably would have driven next week in the 600. Truth be told, Carl Edwards is kind of pompous but he can wheel a racecar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fou_bleu Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I was so impressed with Fords efforts at Charlotte over the weekend that Vettel winning the Spanish GP and the blatant Holden domination here in the V8s was all forgotten! I was so ecstatic! XD Hopefully I can catch-up on some more US racing to leave the local woes at the back of my mind! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 That All Star race with Carl Edwards was something else. His car was flying around that track. Now there are conspiracy theorists trying to say he intentionally wrecked his car by sliding it through the grass in celebration... riiight. I'm sure he would do that, considering he wrecked an awesome car that he probably would have driven next week in the 600. Truth be told, Carl Edwards is kind of pompous but he can wheel a racecar. They don't normally use the same car in the 600 and the All Star race. Or at least they didn't in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bifs66 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I was so impressed with Fords efforts at Charlotte over the weekend that Vettel winning the Spanish GP and the blatant Holden domination here in the V8s was all forgotten! I was so ecstatic! XD Hopefully I can catch-up on some more US racing to leave the local woes at the back of my mind! :P Can you fill us in (in your opinion) on why Holden is dominating? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goinbroke2 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Cause they're leading the last lap? :shades: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 Can you fill us in (in your opinion) on why Holden is dominating? There's twice as many Holden teams in V8 Supercars and there's precious little money for Ford teams. I don't mean to sound depressing but V8 Supercars is really turning into Formula Holden and unless Ford injects some serious cash, the rest of the Ford teams will fade to also rans in the next few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 They don't normally use the same car in the 600 and the All Star race. Or at least they didn't in the past. That probably has as much to do with the fact that not many of the cars are fit to race after the beating they take in the All Star race as anything. I think NASCAR has also tightened the rules on what is allowed in the All Star race compared to the past. For example, some of the stuff Hendrick did in the past with Gordon's and Johnson's cars won't pass pre-race inspection these days. It was comical to hear Edward's crew chief, Bob Osborne, say after the race that he was considering using that car in the 600 until Carl tried to slide it through the infield culvert and basically tore the front suspension out from under the car. Carl had already dropped the window net and the car nearly flipped when he hit that thing. I bet Charlotte changes that part of the track before long. I think Carl is a class act, unlike some of the other drivers (the Busch babies come quickly to mind). I think most people appreciate the simple fact that he removes his sun glasses before every interview. I also forgot to mention in my original post that he is the current points leader in the Sprint Cup series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 That probably has as much to do with the fact that not many of the cars are fit to race after the beating they take in the All Star race as anything. I think NASCAR has also tightened the rules on what is allowed in the All Star race compared to the past. For example, some of the stuff Hendrick did in the past with Gordon's and Johnson's cars won't pass pre-race inspection these days. That's just it - they know the drivers will be more aggressive with no points to worry about and they don't want to mess up their primary 600 car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fou_bleu Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 There's twice as many Holden teams in V8 Supercars and there's precious little money for Ford teams. I don't mean to sound depressing but V8 Supercars is really turning into Formula Holden and unless Ford injects some serious cash, the rest of the Ford teams will fade to also rans in the next few years. This. Although the 'restart' with the CotF coming in 2013, I see Ford actually contemplating investing in the sport (properly) again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 The Ford pro stocks are not direct factory backed efforts like the Ford funny car teams. Ford makes the bodies, cyl heads and blocks and sells them to interested parties. There may be some technical help but it is limited. I think Ford may wait till pro stock changes fundamentally ie:production based cars and drivelines. I don't think you will see Ford having much success in NHRA Pro Stock unless one or two more of the better teams make the switch to Ford. There was a lot of speculation after they filed for bankruptcy that GM and Chrysler would drastically cut back their support to the point where teams would start to run out of parts as basic as engine blocks and cylinder heads. As long as they can still get parts and the teams that have switched are not showing much promiss there is not much reason to change. Jim Cunningham and Larry Morgan are about the only teams that have made a real commitment to Ford. Cunningham has not had the best drivers (he even tried to lure Bob Glidden back into driving) which leaves Morgan as the only real threat to even qualify. Unless he starts winning some races I doubt you will see any of the other major teams running Fords. Maybe Ford should offer Jegs a Motorcraft deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 (edited) They don't normally use the same car in the 600 and the All Star race. Or at least they didn't in the past. That's true in some cases, but not always. For instance, my favorite driver, Matt Kenseth, brought the same car to the 600 that he won with in the 2004 All Star race with: http://www.mattkenseth.com/news/2004/news2004-05.html You can read that there under the heading "Robbie Reiser on the Coca-Cola 600." BTW: That pass that Matt made back in in the 2004 All Star race was awesome. I'll never forget it: ... one of my favorite moments from my younger days. Edited May 26, 2011 by SVT_MAN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traxiii Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 I don't think you will see Ford having much success in NHRA Pro Stock unless one or two more of the better teams make the switch to Ford. There was a lot of speculation after they filed for bankruptcy that GM and Chrysler would drastically cut back their support to the point where teams would start to run out of parts as basic as engine blocks and cylinder heads. As long as they can still get parts and the teams that have switched are not showing much promiss there is not much reason to change. Jim Cunningham and Larry Morgan are about the only teams that have made a real commitment to Ford. Cunningham has not had the best drivers (he even tried to lure Bob Glidden back into driving) which leaves Morgan as the only real threat to even qualify. Unless he starts winning some races I doubt you will see any of the other major teams running Fords. Maybe Ford should offer Jegs a Motorcraft deal. Roush/Yates are still working on the new Ford Pro Stock engine and might have some answers for the competition...next year. They were supposed to have them ready for the WInternationals and have found that pioneering a new design and making it competitive with the guys that have been tweaking their engines for decades very difficult. It looks like they thought that NASCAR tech would directly transfer to drag racing, but apparently not. Larry Morgan has been a fairly consistent qualifier, and is just a couple 100ths away from being in the mix. There are 3 or 4 other Mustangs out there and it's just going to take time to catch up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted May 27, 2011 Author Share Posted May 27, 2011 Roush/Yates are still working on the new Ford Pro Stock engine and might have some answers for the competition...next year. They were supposed to have them ready for the WInternationals and have found that pioneering a new design and making it competitive with the guys that have been tweaking their engines for decades very difficult. It looks like they thought that NASCAR tech would directly transfer to drag racing, but apparently not. Larry Morgan has been a fairly consistent qualifier, and is just a couple 100ths away from being in the mix. There are 3 or 4 other Mustangs out there and it's just going to take time to catch up. Time and talent (well, money too). Nothing against Larry Morgan, Robert Patrick, etc. but they are not in the same league as say a Greg Anderson or Jeg Coughlin nor do they have the same backing. Toyota found that out the hard way when they first entered the NASCAR Sprint Cup series with Michael Waltrip Racing. MWR was not competitive then and is still not considered as one of the top tier teams in NASCAR. Toyota didn't really start seeing much success until Joe Gibbs Racing came onboard with drivers like Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and now Kyle (Baby) Busch and sponsors like Home Depot and Fedex. If I were looking for help in developing a Ford engine for drag racing the first person I would talk to is Jon Kaase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
97svtgoin05gt Posted May 27, 2011 Share Posted May 27, 2011 Its honestly about time and long overdue that we're having success again in NASCAR. I had promised myself that if this year wasn't better, I would stop wasting 4 hours on Sundays to see Jimmy Johnson/Chevy win the races while we stood around with our "Johnsons" in our hands running a best 15th or so week in week out. That whole "The old engine was competitive" line was a bunch of crap. No, it was not. If it was, we'd have been in the top ten consistantly or even win a race or two. We did neither of those things with the old engine, well not in the last 3 years or so anyway. Anyway, I'm glad to be bouncing out of my chair once again watching NASCAR. It feels good to see the Blue Oval back to their winning ways. Now I just hope NASCAR doesn't start changing rules because the Chevys are losing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 (edited) Its honestly about time and long overdue that we're having success again in NASCAR. I had promised myself that if this year wasn't better, I would stop wasting 4 hours on Sundays to see Jimmy Johnson/Chevy win the races while we stood around with our "Johnsons" in our hands running a best 15th or so week in week out. That whole "The old engine was competitive" line was a bunch of crap. No, it was not. If it was, we'd have been in the top ten consistantly or even win a race or two. We did neither of those things with the old engine, well not in the last 3 years or so anyway. Anyway, I'm glad to be bouncing out of my chair once again watching NASCAR. It feels good to see the Blue Oval back to their winning ways. Now I just hope NASCAR doesn't start changing rules because the Chevys are losing. The old engine wasn't really that bad from a power-standpoint to be honest with you. It was over-dramatized. In fact, it's downright amazing that the engine was essentially based off the Windsor engine and was pushing close to 900 hp! The Ford drivers never complained about not having enough power. The main issue with the old engine was the center of gravity and the fact that the old cooling setup didn't let them run much tape. Not being able to run tape meant they lost down force, which in turn meant their handling suffered when compared with other teams. The fact that the new engine allows them to run more tape and has a lower center of gravity means they handle better. A better handling car is MUCH more important than 20 horsepower. Ask any driver which they'd prefer .. a well balanced car or 20 horsepower. I would bet that 100 out of 100 will say a balanced car - unless it's a restrictor plate track like Talladega where handling doesn't matter. http://www.nascar.com/news/110427/inside-nascar-fr9-ford-engine/index.html?eref=/drivers/dps/gbiffle Edited May 28, 2011 by SVT_MAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blksn8k2 Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Anyone see the end of the Coke 600 last night? Turned into a gas mileage battle. Looked like NASCAR was trying their damndest to give the win to Jr by not throwing the caution flag with cars spinning all over the place and Jr leading down the backstretch on the last lap. Too bad he spoiled their fun by running out of gas coming to the finish line. I hated to see Harvick win, especially after the Fords led most of the race. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 (edited) Of course they wanted Earnhardt to win. I'm surprised they didn't red flag the race when he ran out of gas.... Nascar, the sanctioning body, is so stinkin' crooked, it ought to be based in Europe (yes, I'm looking at you FIFA, FIA, IOC, etc.) Seriously. I'm tired of 'that's jes' racin'' used to excuse Kyle Busch (so Toyota will stay in the series), and the endless kowtowing to GM (so they'll stay in the series), and so on and so forth. Edited May 31, 2011 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Anyone see the end of the Coke 600 last night? Turned into a gas mileage battle. Looked like NASCAR was trying their damndest to give the win to Jr by not throwing the caution flag with cars spinning all over the place and Jr leading down the backstretch on the last lap. Too bad he spoiled their fun by running out of gas coming to the finish line. I hated to see Harvick win, especially after the Fords led most of the race. Shocker! in particular when they will throw the yellow when there is soda can on the track! I didn't catch any of the talk shows- sometimes those guys are candid when they talk about that stuff. No doubt in my mind had it been a Roush car in the lead, a yellow would have been thrown. Junior is a nice guy-unfortunately, that is not the issue and Nascar damages its credibility with stuff like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Rosadini Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Can anyone tell me why the Mustangs are "no shows" in the Rolex GT class? Caught bits and pieces of yesterdays race at Limerock and the Camaros got a lot of air time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMSA-XJR9 Posted May 31, 2011 Share Posted May 31, 2011 Can anyone tell me why the Mustangs are "no shows" in the Rolex GT class? Caught bits and pieces of yesterdays race at Limerock and the Camaros got a lot of air time. Black Forest Motorsport is the only team in recent memory that has campaigned a Mustang in the GT class . . . and sad to say with little success. And I think the 24hrs of Daytona is the only race they have tried this year. Not sure how much of an added expense it is to campaign in GT. I believe FMC is no longer building the FR500GT which was legal in Rolex GT and FIA GT3 if memory serves. I'd like someone to step up to the plate and campaign a Mustang in ALMS GT2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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