Ford

Racing and Ford go together, a century plus heritage started by none other than Henry Ford himself in 1901.  In that year, Ford defeated Alexander Winton in a 10-lap race that was run on a one-mile oval located at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Pointe, MI. In 1909, a Ford Model T finished first in a cross country race that began in New York and ended in Seattle.

Modified Mustangs, Hot F Series

These days, Ford’s racing prowess is evident both on the road in the form of various Mustang and F-150 modifications as well as on the race track. Ford is an excellent example of a company that promotes the famed motto, “race on Sunday, sell cars on Monday,” in that they are active on many different levels besides NASCAR including GrandAm, FIA, WRC, NHRA and elsewhere.

In the early years of NASCAR racing, Ford was outclassed by its competitors including Hudson, Oldsmobile and Chrysler. Though Ford officially won one race in 1950, it would be five years before a Ford car bested the elites at their game. Peter DePaolo has been widely credited with improving Ford’s lot, engineering cars that not only went the distance but won.

Ford’s Domination Begins

Beginning in 1956, Ford became a regular winner even dominating the sport in some years. Changes to the way cars were supported — Ford’s were factory backed — slowed down Ford’s domination only to be reinvigorated in the early 1960s thanks to Lee Iacocca who understood the importance of not just competing, but winning.

Down through the years, Ford Racing has been blessed to have a number of the industry’s top drivers sit behind the wheels of various Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles. These days, Ford carries on where Mercury and Lincoln left off, but some of the names of old are still familiar names today including Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, Cal Yarborough, and Bobby Allison. Later, pros like Rusty Wallace, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton, and Jeff Gordon would rise up and push Ford Racing forward.

Today’s Track Stars

More recently, Gregg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch would all drive the Blue Oval to the finish line, making sure that the Blue Oval continues to have its place among the top motorsports teams in the world.

In 2009, Ford is still making its presence known thanks to the driving abilities of Carl Edwards, Brandon Whitt, Ryan Hackett, Erik Darnell, Benny Gordon, Paul Menard, Eric McClure, Matt Kenseth, Jason Keller and many other up and coming drivers.

Photo courtesy of the Ford Motor Company.