GT500 to Pace NASCAR Ford 400 at Daytona

THREE ALL-NEW 2007 FORD VEHICLES TO PACE FORD CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

HOMESTEAD, Fla. - Three "championship-level" 2007 Ford vehicles - the Ford Shelby GT500, Ford Edge and Ford F-150 FX2 Sport - have been selected to pace the three Ford Championship Weekend races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, site of NASCAR's season-ending events.

Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology; Curtis Gray, president of Homestead-Miami Speedway; and Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion and a contender for this year's title, were all on hand at the race track today to help unveil the three pace vehicles in a ceremony before open NASCAR testing at the track.

"We wanted to select championship level production vehicles to pace the Ford Championship Weekend, and we picked three of the best," said Davis, in making the announcement. "When you talk about vehicles that combine bold design and the kind of performance needed to lead the NASCAR field on track, these three vehicles are the place to start."

Bold Moves on Track

The Ford Shelby GT500, which will lead the field in the Ford 400, is simply the most powerful Mustang ever.

At 500 horsepower, there won't be any problem leading the NASCAR Nextel Cup field. The GT500, with its 5.4-liter supercharged V8 engine, is a collaboration between racing legend Carroll Shelby and Ford Special Vehicle Team.

The car also features an aggressive muscular front-end design, Le Mans racing stripes, and the unmistakable Cobra logo and Shelby nameplate. It has a race-tuned suspension, six-speed manual transmission and four-piston Bembo brakes.

The Ford Edge will be the first Ford crossover utility vehicle (CUV) to pace a NASCAR race when it leads the field for the Ford 300 NASCAR Busch Series event.

The Edge features bold American design, 265 horsepower out of a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, and innovative features such as a panoramic Vista Roof, Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control, a Safety Canopy air curtain system, an MP3-player jack and console laptop storage.

With contemporary design and engaging vehicle dynamics, Edge is Ford's answer to the growing CUV market, which is the fastest-growing segment in the United States.

The F-150 FX2 Sport is the latest edition to the F-Series family of great Ford trucks that are on their way to a 30th consecutive year of sales leadership.

The FX2 Sport package is available on 4X2 SuperCab and SuperCrew XLT editions, and features a dark accent billet-style grille insert with body color grille surround, unique 18-inch aluminum wheels, available 20-inch aluminum wheels, a chrome exhaust tip, fog lamps, unique captain's chairs with center console and floor-mounted shifter, and a body color front bumper, rear bumper, door and tailgate handles.

Each of the three vehicles has been equipped for their pace car duties with special decal packages and light bars.

Bold Moves in the Chase

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion, took part in today's ceremonies and was on hand to test for Ford Championship Weekend, where he will seek his second NASCAR title.

Kenseth, driver of the DeWalt Ford Fusion, led the NASCAR points championship going into the 10-race, NASCAR Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship playoff. Going into the Oct. 22 race at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va., Kenseth is just 45 points out of the championship lead.

His Roush Racing teammate, Mark Martin, is the other Ford Racing driver among the final 10 competing for the Nextel Cup title. Going into Martinsville, Martin - driver of the AAA Ford Fusion - ranked No. 4 in the chase standings, 102 points out of first as he seeks his first Nextel Cup championship.

The NASCAR Ford Fusion made it debut this past February in Daytona, and has captured five wins, with Kenseth scoring four, and his teammate Greg Biffle scoring one.

Bold Moves in the Marketplace

Ford's racing program makes business sense for the company.

As far back as 1901, company founder Henry Ford raced to prove out his new product, and to gain favorable publicity for his efforts. His victory in his one and only race in Grosse Pointe, Mich., that year proved to be the turning point in attracting investors to Ford and helping him start the Ford Motor Company in 1903.

"My great-grandfather understood the value of racing, and what it could do for a company," said Edsel B. Ford II, a member of the Ford board of directors and a long-time supporter of Ford's racing programs.

"He knew what racing could do, both in terms of technical innovation and marketing. I think he'd be pleased that those are key reasons we still race today."

Indeed, on-going research has shown racing works for Ford.

"According to our 2006 research, fifty-six percent of Ford owners call themselves race fans," said Burt Diamond, global marketing manager, Ford Racing Technology.

"Certainly that's a huge number of people out there who have a strong emotional connection with what we're doing. We'd be crazy not to market to these people."

But more than just showing interest, these Ford race fans are proving to be good, loyal customers.

Among market-active consumers, Ford's market share among race fans is 46 percent higher than non-race fans. And consideration for Ford products is 72 percent higher among race fans, than non-race fans.

"Not only that, but we've found that racing truly influences the fundamental beliefs about Ford products," said Diamond.

"Our research has shown that our primary brand attributes - things like 'holds up well,' 'smart designs,' 'practical innovations' - all rate higher among race fans than non race fans.

"Our NASCAR race fans have the strongest image of Ford on both primary and racing-related brand images than anywhere else we race.

"There's no question, based on our research, that racing polishes the oval for Ford."