Ford Racing Performance Parts Expands Crate Engine Lineup for 2012

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When it comes to bolting pure Blue Oval muscle into your Ford performance car or truck project, nothing beats a crate engine from Ford Racing Performance Parts.

 

For 2012, Ford Racing is expanding its range of quality engineered and built crate engines that are designed to fit nearly every performance application and budget.

 

Adding FRPP's just-announced I-4 Crate Engine 'Concept' into the mix, Ford Racing's line of high performance crate engines now grows to become one of the most comprehensive in recent memory. Whether it's one of the modern, high-tech Coyote-based 5.0-liter engines or any of the nine unique pushrod engines, all of Ford Racing's crate engines leverage Ford Motor Company's engineering resources to deliver high quality and real value.

 

The Ford "Small-Block" V-8 has been a longtime favorite among racers, and the Ford Racing Performance Parts 2012 pushrod crate engine offerings range from 302 to 427 cubic inches, and from 340 up to 600 horsepower!

 

The 2012 FRPP Crate Engine lineup includes:

 

Z363 500 HP Pushrod Crate Engine

Following the hot-rodding adage that there's no substitute for cubic inches, Ford Racing has taken the popular 302-based stroker to the max with the 500 horsepower Z363 crate engine. By pushing the bore out to 4.125 inches, displacement of the popular 347 stroker has been increased to 363 cubic inches. Combined with improved Mahle® pistons, the Z363 makes 50 more horsepower and 50 more foot-pounds of torque than the Z347 that it replaces. Nothing but the best parts are used inside, including: forged crankshaft; forged I-beam connecting rods; floating piston pins; and a high-performance oiling system.

 

Built with the BOSS 302 block and Z304D aluminum heads, Z363 fits many of the vehicles originally built with a 289 or 302 block with 8.2-inch deck height. Ford Racing engineers designed the Z363 to work both on the street and at the strip, with a strong torque curve that delivers more than 390 foot pounds from 3,500 rpm up to the 6,500 rpm redline. With a compression ratio of 10.0:1, Z363 runs on unleaded premium pump gas, and is also available as a short block for those who want to build the engine to their own specifications.

 

X427 Crate Engine  (p/n M-6007-X427FT/RT)

The company that created the famous 427 FE engine now offers another modern version of the legendary motor. The X427, designed for street use, has joined the Ford Racing Z427 that was introduced in 2010. Fitted with the legendary Ford Racing X-Heads, the X427 delivers 520 foot-pounds of torque. Built on Ford Racing's new BOSS 351 block, this new 427 crate engine is engineered and built to deliver a strong, flat torque curve. That translates into tire-smoking acceleration for street rods, kit cars and muscle cars, and plenty of power and torque for light-duty pickups and SUVs.

 

5.0L Ti-VCT Aluminator NA  p/n M-6007-A50NA

Ford Racing has taken the 5.0 Mustang GT’s 4-valve V-8 with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) and created another in its series of "Aluminator" crate engines that deliver even higher performance than before. The 5.0 Aluminator NA, with 11.0:1 compression ratio, is designed specifically for naturally aspirated, high-performance applications. Mahle® forged pistons are hard anodized with Graphal® low-friction coating. The connecting rods are premium Manley® H-beam with ARP® 2000 bolts, and fitted with BOSS 302 high-performance bearings.

 

The 5.0 Aluminator NA is a direct bolt-in for 2011-12 Mustang GT. It can be used in street rod or resto-mod builds using Ford Racing's 5.0L engine controls pack (p/n M-6017-A504V).

 

5.0L Ti-VCT Aluminator SC P/N M-6007-A50NSC

This second new offering in Ford Racing's 5.0 Mustang "Aluminator" crate engine line is another modern 5.0-liter, 32-valve DOHC V-8 that uses advanced features like Ti-VCT to deliver big power. This "Aluminator" is built with a 9.5:1 compression ratio, forged pistons and H-beam connecting rods to meet the demands of forced induction applications.

 

5.0L Ti-VCT Coyote 'Sealed' Racing Engine P/N M-6007-M50S

The popularity of today's Mustang 5.0 "Coyote" engine has led to strong interest by sanctioning bodies to create new spec-racing classes for the engine. These spec engines are the same as the production Mustang GT's 5.0 V-8, and are sealed by Ford Racing to ensure that none of the engine internals are changed.

 

The first organization to employ these engines will be the National Mustang Racer's Association (NMRA) in a class called, "Coyote Stock." All engines will use a spec engine controller.

 

Ford Racing designs and engineers components that fit perfectly and deliver optimal performance and durability. Only Ford Racing has access to proprietary design, testing and production resources that are vital in developing components worthy of wearing the Blue Oval. From engine internals and bolt-on power-adders to chassis kits designed and tuned for specific applications, Ford Racing has upgrades that are track-tested and race-proven.

3 FUSIONS FINISH TOP-10 IN DOVER SPRINT CUP RACE

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Greg Biffle had the lead late, but couldn't hold on as Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart passed him in the closing laps of Sunday's Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. Biffle finished third, followed by Roush Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth in fourth and Carl Edwards in seventh.

GREG BIFFLE – NO. 16 NEXCARE/3M FORD FUSION (FINISHED THIRD)
“The Nexcare Ford Fusion car was really, really good and it’s unfortunate. We lost that race because of that caution flag and got stuck in the back. We had to work our way back up and really didn’t know how our car was and adjusted it and adjusted it out and then back again. Once I got out front, I was just way too loose there at the end and couldn’t hold off the 20 or the 48. If I would have been a little bit tighter, I know I would have been able to drive off pretty good, but, it’s unfortunate. We were back in traffic all day and had our car freed up and then we got out front and was just a little bit too loose. It was a good day—a top three. I’ve got to argue with the people that are critics of these cars that they put on good races.”

WHAT ABOUT THE CAR TODAY?
“We had a great setup from last fall that I think a lot of our cars ran here today. I know some guys had little bit different versions of it, but, overall, this was a good race track for us. I’m glad that we came back. I know we were all worried about coming here and running good.”

MATT KENSETH – NO. 17 DEWALT FORD FUSION (FINISHED FOURTH)
“It was a good run for the whole DeWalt team. We were kind of up and down all day. We didn’t have anything that could compete with Jimmie. He had everybody covered, but we had a pretty good car and came home fourth. We couldn’t quite get it right, but it was pretty decent.”

HOW WAS YOUR TIRE WEAR TODAY?
“It seemed all right. We ran a couple of full fuel runs it seemed like, so it didn’t seem like many people had problems. If you ran up high, where it was gray, we chorded a couple of right rears, but that’s kind of normal here, so I thought everything turned out pretty good.”

A BIG BOUNCEBACK FOR FORD AND ROUSH TODAY.
“Yeah, I don’t know how everybody else did, but we were able to be pretty solid and got a good finish. The last three or four weeks we’ve kind of been on the upswing a little bit. We had a top 10 at Charlotte and were maybe 10th at Darlington, so we’ve been doing a little bit better here. It was good for us to get a good finish.”

DO YOU FEEL THIS TEAM IS GETTING ON A ROLL?
“Yeah, we have all the tools there to win, it’s our job to figure out how to put it all together into a winning effort. We were closer today, but we were just a little off. I just couldn’t get it. Jimmie had everybody covered, kind of like the Roush cars did last fall here—they were just quite a bit better. We seemed to miss it just a little bit and this car is very, very sensitive and it’s easy to miss it by a little bit. It gets frustrating because you don’t know how to adjust it. One run you’re pretty good and you barely change it and you’re no good.”

DAVID RAGAN – NO. 6 UPS FORD FUSION (FINISHED 24TH)
“At times we made good adjustments and at times we didn’t. As a team we’ve got to build on the good ones that we made because at periods during the race I thought we were a top 15 car. We were never great, but our UPS Ford showed some promise. We just couldn’t make the right adjustments to keep it going fast.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY – NO. 26 CROWN ROYAL FORD FUSION (FINISHED 14TH)
DID THAT CAUTION WHEN YOU HAD PITTED UNDER GREEN SPOIL YOUR DAY?
“No, actually we had a really good car. When we got our lucky dog they all checked up getting on pit road and I tore the fender off of it and it pulled the splitter up and from there on out our car just was not very good. I really think we should have finished sixth or seventh, even after getting caught a lap down pitting too early. I thought I had a tire down is why we pitted, so it was just a tough day.”

SOME PROMISE WITH THE WAY THE CARS PERFORMED?
“I know that Greg and Carl and Matt—I don’t know how good the 6 was—but it looked like everybody else ran really good today. Our cars are good, we just have to put it together.”

GREG BIFFLE PRESS CONFERENCE
“We had a great car. What really probably screwed our day up was getting caught on pit road. We were running second and I was catching the 48 and we went through the green flag pit cycle and I ended up a lap down at the tail-end of the lead lap and the 48 was still the leader with four new tires. So I’m not sure how that all played out, but we spent the rest of the day getting back all the way to the front. We ran in traffic all day and once I got back toward the front, the car started getting loose and then once I got out front with two tires it was just so loose I couldn’t drive it. It was just really tough to drive out front. I saw the guys coming and I was just doing all I could do. I was afraid if Tony got up behind me in the corner that the car would probably spin out, so I figured my only hope was to go to the top, but I was so loose up there that I couldn’t get the gas down, either. I got a pretty good run at the top, but just needed a little adjustment and I think I would have made it more interesting. I think it would have been a three-way battle, possibly, instead of two. But, overall, a great day for us in the points and happy to come home third.”

DID YOUR HEART SINK WHEN THE 48 GOT PAST THE 1 AND 24 SO FAST?
“I couldn’t take my eyes off the road, so I didn’t see anything. If I would have looked anywhere but forward or out the side window I think I would have wrecked.”

VARIETY GOOD FOR FORD

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Thursday night qualifying at Texas Motor Speedway proved to be very good indeed for Team Ford Racing in the Nationwide Series. The unusual scheduling (most Nationwide qualifying is on Friday) set the full 43-car grid for Saturday afternoon’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at the 1.5-mile track in Fort Worth.

Roush Fenway star Matt Kenseth led the way for Ford with a solid second-place effort behind pole-winner Kyle Busch in a Toyota. Kenseth’s best lap of 28.72 seconds at 188.055 compared to the 28.68-second, 188.252 mph lap of Busch much early in the nighttime session. Busch and Kenseth were the only drivers to reach the 188 mph range.

TFR teammates Paul Menard and David Ragan were third and fourth in their Ford Fusions, with series points leader Carl Edwards sixth. Menard races for Doug Yates/Max Jones, while Ragan and Edwards are in Roush Fenway cars.

Nine of the 10 TFR entrants made the show: Kenseth, Menard, Ragan, Edwards, Jason Keller, Eric McClure, John Wes Townley, Brandon Whitt and Casey Atwood. The only Ford driver to not advance to Saturday afternoon was Josh Wise.

FORD RACING AND ROUSH YATES PREPARE TO DEBUT NEW “FR9” ENGINE THIS SEASON

Image via WikipediaFord and Roush Yates Engines already enjoy a reputation for producing some of the best power and reliability in the sport, but its latest NASCAR-approved engine has raised expectations to an even higher level for 2009.

Code-named "FR9," this new piece is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine to ever come out of Ford Motor Company. Its design has been spearheaded and developed by Ford Racing engineer David Simon, and famed engine builder Doug Yates, along with input from legendary Ford Racing engine engineer Mose Nowland.

“This is an exciting time for us to say the least, especially with the way our two companies have worked so well together on this project,” said Yates. “I’ve never had the opportunity to work on a NASCAR engine with a clean sheet of paper, but that’s basically what we’ve done and I’ve enjoyed every second. We feel we’ve got a piece that will not only be better than what we’ve got now, but will give us room to grow.

“With the exception of a few cylinder head changes through the years, we’ve had the same engine since 1991 and have been able to squeeze out every ounce of power and speed possible,” continued Yates. “What’s got me so excited is we’ve won races and championships with an engine many consider old, and this new piece is definitely a notch above, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to for years to come.”

There are three key differences between “FR9” and the current engine. First, the cooling system has been re-worked and will allow teams to optimize the amount of tape they can put on the front grille and improve downforce. Second, the valve train has been improved, and, third, the production and assembly of “FR9” will be much easier than today’s model.

Another thing is for certain, this isn’t your father’s 351 because “FR9” does not retain any of the original production 351 dimensions as the current model.

“Our main priority when we started this project was to get the bones of the engine right. We wanted to make sure we had the proper layout, the right block structure and that the overall skeleton of the engine was correct,” said Simon. “Even though we’ve been working on these engines for decades and know a lot of things about them, there was still a lot we didn’t know. In that case, we went and did some testing to get the answer.”

That data driven philosophy for designing the engine was crucial for building an engine that would not only be reliable and efficient, but powerful as well.

“It was a completely different mindset and approach to making power,” recalled Simon. “We did not finalize any part of the engine until we acquired the data that told us what was going to be our optimum setting or optimum dimension. The key to all of this in the first phase of our development was to produce as much power through the design of the engine as possible and to make sure we had the very best layout, the very best dimension, and the very best combination of dimensions that we could within the framework of the rules.”

Since taking over as Ford Director of North America Motorsports in August, Brian Wolfe has had to learn a lot in a short amount of time, but he’s been impressed with how well “FR9” has developed.

“Before taking over this job, I worked in powertrain development at Ford for 26 years, and it’s always great to see a new product,” said Wolfe. “To see the way everyone has worked together on this project is extremely gratifying and I know when “FR9” is ready for the race track, we’re going to be spending a lot of time in Victory Lane.”

Just when “FR9” is ready for competition remains to be seen, but a tentative target date is the second-half of the 2009 season.

“We’re not going to rush this engine into competition until we’re 100 percent sure it’s going to meet our strict standards,” said Yates. “We don’t feel a need to rush because our current engine is still strong and that gives us the luxury to take our time and make sure we do “FR9” right. I know we’ve got a winner here, and I can’t wait to see it on the track.”

JFR'S HIGHT WARMED UP FOR NEW SEASON

Image via WikipediaRobert Hight finished fourth in the NHRA Funny Car standings in 2008 after posting back-to-back runner up results in 2006 and 2007.

Hight will once again team with 14-time champion John Force, 2007 Rookie of the Year Ashley Force and 2008 Rookie of the Year Mike Neff to comprise the lineup for John Force Racing. Hight took a few minutes to chat with TWIFR about the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car Series.

ROBERT HIGHT – AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FORD MUSTANG
COMPARE WHERE YOU AND THE TEAM ARE AT THIS POINT IN 2009 TO WHERE YOU WERE IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2008 SEASON.
“I think we are in better shape as far as going out and contending for a championship and winning races because last year was so chaotic. Last year, a week before we went testing in January, we were still putting together all the cars that we had completely redesigned. It was a total redesign of the chassis after all the accidents we had in ’07. At that point, performance and winning races wasn’t really the focus of ours. This year we are still focused on safety, we haven’t put that on the back burner at all, but we are also looking at where we needed to improve in ’09 from ’08. What was the main problem that we all faced? We have put all our heads together, all the crew chiefs and focus on being more competitive and getting back on top, which is where we believe we belong.”

FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR YOU WENT TO THE FINAL RACE IN CONTENTION FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. UNFORTUNATELY, FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR YOU NAROWLLY MISSED WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP. ARE YOU PROUD OF THE CONSISTENCY OF BEING IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENTION IN THE FINAL RACE OR ARE YOU FRUSTRATED BY THE NARROW MISSES?
“It is a consistent run to be on the cusp three straight years, but it also goes back to the fact that we need to be in the driver’s seat come the last race of the year. We need to be the guy that everyone else is chasing and not have to wait until the last day to catch up or be right there to win. We want to lock this thing up early. It will take a lot of hard work and a lot of technology to be successful. In fact, Ford was at the shop last week working with us on a new programs that should help us with our consistency our performance and ultimately win races.”

YOU MENTIONED THE EMOTIONAL 2007 SEASON. IN 2008 THERE WERE SEVERAL MILESTONES FOR THE TEAM. JOHN WON AT TOPEKA AND WON HIS ONE THOUSANDTH RUN. ASHLEY WON FOR THE FIRST TIIME. MIKE NEFF WON ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AND YOU WON THREE RACES AND CAPTURED THE U.S. NATIONALS AND WERE A CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER IN THE FINAL RACE. DO YOU TAKE PRIDE IN THAT THE TEAM HAD SUCH SUCCESS COMING OFF THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE PRIOR YEAR?
“Big time. I have a lot of pride in what we were able to accomplish, as a team last year in a short period of time; that was phenomenal.We simply wouldn’t have been able to make the to make the chassis changes and improve the level of safety without Ford Racing. Ford was the major backbone behind the changes. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be involved with Ford to have their engineers at our disposal for all these projects. Safety and performance are what we are all about.”

IT IS THE START OF A NEW YEAR. HANDICAP THE FUNNY CAR FIELD AND WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE TITLE CONTENDERS?
“You have to start with the Pedregons [Tony and Cruz], who have won the championship the last two years and they will always be tough. The new combination of Tim Wilkerson and Bob Tasca joining together and they will both be driving Ford Mustangs, so they will be tough. Tim honestly should have won the championship last year; without the Countdown to 1, he would have. Teaming Tasca, who is a good driver in the Motorcraft/Quick Lane car, with him will help them both because now they have two cars to share data with where before they were always a single car. All the Schumacher cars will be tough, and then there are my own teammates. I still think Funny Car will be the class to watch for competition. I think there will be a lot of different winners and even with the tough economic times I think Funny Car will be the strongest class because there should be 18-20 good cars every week and that means there will be a good car sitting out on Sunday.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET OFF TO A FAST START? IS THERE AN ADVANTAGE TO GETTING THE FIRST WIN IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF EVENTS?
“I won the first event last year and I was in the final at the next event and I still didn’t win the championship. I do think it is big, but with the new Countdown to 1 it isn’t as important as it used to be simply because the points reset mid-year and you have a fresh start. For the morale of everybody involved with the program it is important to get out there and get a few wins under your belt early.”

HOW BIG OF AN ADVANTAGE IS IT FOR JOHN FORCE RACING TO HAVE FOUR CARS?
“The four-car team only works because of the people that John has assembled. If we were butting heads and didn’t all get along and race and work together it wouldn’t be a good deal. To his credit, John has put together four teams of good people that work well together. It is a big advantage to share data and one team can try something and if it is good we can share with each other and really it is a continuous learning curve. The key is the interaction and in our case it is four teams working as one.”

LAST YEAR, IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, THE NHRA CHANGED THE RACE DISTANCE FROM THE TRADITIONAL QUARTER-MILE TO ONE THOUSAND FEET. THIRTEEN RACES, OR JUST OVER HALF A SEASON, HAVE BEEN RUN AT THE NEW DISTANCE WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CHANGE?
“I don’t mind it a bit. If it were half-track you still have to get to the finish line first. Wherever they [NHRA] say the finish line is, that is my goal is to get there first. I think the 1000-foot is necessary for a lot of the race tracks because there isn’t sufficient shut down area and it is impossible to move the race track and change it. So, the change is necessary unless they put in place performance limitations, which I am not a big fan of. I think it should be the 1000-foot and get there as quick as you can. Hopefully, we will see Funny Cars turning three-second times this year. I did that in ’07 [3.95 to 1000-foot], and last year I had the quickest run at 1000-foot at four-flat. It won’t be a regular occurrence, but in perfect conditions with a great race track and the team being set up and having the opportunity to really go for it I think you will see some three-second times.”

WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE OFF SEASON?
“Spending time with my family. We are gone for 24 events and with testing and match races and appearances we are gone a lot with everything we do. It was great to spend the time at home, and my daughter is four so Christmas was really special. It is funny because when I thought I was going to win the championship going into the final race at Pomona, I was looking at the offseason and thinking, ‘I am really going to enjoy this winter and enjoy some time off.’ When I lost, my perspective changed and I was ready to get right back out there. We just have to work harder so we can be where we want and need to be.”

FORD RUNNING FOR MORE HARDWARE

Image by http2007 via FlickrThe 2008 auto racing season saw Ford Racing with its Mustang FR500C take on some of the world’s top auto manufacturers in road racing competition and walk away with two team championships and a manufacturers’ championship.
Eric de Doncker repeated as the GT4 European Cup champion after his No. 1 Mustang FR500GT4 dominated cars from Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW and Nissan. De Doncker has dominated the series’ first two seasons, capturing eight wins and making 24 podium appearances through 27 races. Last season alone, de Doncker made his way into victory lane four times and finished in the top three 14 times.
In the Grand-Am Koni Challenge, Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell collected the championship in their No. 55 Mustang FR500C. The duo earned two victories, five top-fives and eight top-10s through the 10 races last season.
Including Foster and Maxwell’s team, a total of five Mustangs finished in the top eight spots to lead Ford the manufacturers’ championship against makes from Porsche, BMW and Nissan. It was the second time that the Mustang FR500C has contributed to a team, drivers’ and manufacturers’ championship run, with the first coming in the car’s debut season of 2005.
“It’s quite an accomplishment for the Ford Mustang to win against the level of competition that we face in GT4 European Cup and in the Koni Challenge Series,” said Brian Wolfe, director, Ford North America Motorsports. “Porsche, BMW and Nissan are certainly formidable competition, and I think our success against them says a lot about Mustang and about the kind of cars we are producing at Ford Motor Company.”
Ford teams will begin defense of their championship on Jan. 23 when the Koni Challenge Series kicks off the 2009 season with the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway, where Mustang FR500C cars make up 40 percent of the GS field.
Rehagen Racing looks capitalize on its fast practice times from earlier this month and be the first team to victory lane in the 2009 season. Rehagen Mustangs had the two quickest times during January’s test days.
“Test days went really well,” said Larry Rehagen. “We couldn’t have asked for much better. It pretty much went according to plan. We planned on going down there and being the quickest and that’s what we were able to do.”
The Grand-Am Rolex Series will open the season on the following day with the famed Rolex 24 at Daytona. For the second consecutive season, teams are switching to Ford as their manufacturer of choice. SunTrust Racing and Krohn Racing join Michael Shank Racing, AIM Autosport and Doran Racing as teams running with Ford power this season. These five Ford teams make up one-third of the entire Daytona Prototype field.
After both of his cars started on the front row at last season’s race, Shank’s No. 6 had the second fastest time during test days, while his No. 60 posted the sixth quickest time.
“When we got to Daytona last year for the race, we were ready to win it,” said Shank. “The No. 6 car was in a position to win it when a suspension part failed—nothing to do with the motor. The Ford Racing engineering guys have helped us a lot since then. That’s the biggest difference. The Ford Racing engineers have now had the opportunity to work with us for a year, so the engineering side of it is much more prepared than it was last year. So different systems and different strategies and all that has now been fully affected by the engineers up in Detroit.”
Part of the success of the Ford program can be attributed to the team at Roush Yates Engines, who prepares the powerplants for all the Ford entries.
“We’re extremely excited that we have seven cars running in the Rolex 24,” said John Maddox, manager of Ford Cammer engine programs at Roush Yates Engines. “All seven teams are quality teams that are capable of winning. In fact, we don’t have a team running that hasn’t won a race in the Rolex Series. All of our teams are winners. They’ve done their homework. They’re doing things right and the outlook is good for us.
“I think we shouldn’t have trouble winning races,” Maddox continued. “You can’t say for sure that you’re going to win races—you know, anything can happen. It should be a very successful year for us. Our goal is to win the championship and bring home the manufacturers' championship for Ford in Daytona Prototypes and in Koni.”

THREE FORDS FINISH IN TOP 10 OF NASCAR SPRINT CUP PLUS NATIONWIDE SERIES RACES IN CHARLOTTE

Jamie McMurray was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Charlotte, N.C., finishing fifth in the No. 26 Fusion. McMurray moved up one spot in the standing to 19th place.

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• Carl Edwards was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Charlotte, N.C., finishing fifth in the No. 60 Fusion. Edwards remains second in the standings, 196 points behind leader Clint Bowyer.
  
  
• Robert Hight, driver of the AAA of So. Cal. Mustang, beat teammate John Force in the first round and lost to Ron Capps in the second round of the NHRA race in Richmond, Va. Hight dropped two spots in the standings to fifth place.
  
  
• Vaughn Gittin Jr., won the Formula Drift race, Final Fight, in Irwindale, Calif., for his first Formula Drift victory. He finished the season eighth in the standings.
  
  

Three Ford Fusions finished in the top 10 of both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series races in Charlotte, N.C., while Vaughn Gittin Jr. won the Formula Drift event in Irwindale, Calif., on a busy weekend for Ford Racing.

Jamie McMurray had a solid weekend, gathering two top-10 finishes. McMurray started the weekend strong when he began the Nationwide Series race from the pole position before finishing in ninth place in the No. 17 Fusion.

The next day, he was the top Ford driver in the Sprint Cup race, grabbing a fifth-place finish in the No. 26 Fusion, which moved him up one spot to 19th place in the standings.

"For the last three months, we've had great race cars," said McMurray. "Everyone at Roush Fenway runs well. I mean all of my teammates run well every single week, and we haven't been able to put our finishes together. But we've had a lot of speed in our car, so I think to sit on the pole in the Nationwide race and then have a top-five in the Cup race, it's gonna make for a wonderful Sunday off."

Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Fusion, was the next Ford driver to cross the line in the Sprint Cup race with a seventh-place finish. Biffle has now compiled four top-10 finishes through the five Chase races, including two victories, and remains third in the Chase standings, 86 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

"I feel really good," said Biffle. "I would have felt better if we would have won tonight and been about 30 or 40 points back, but we're not gonna give up."

David Ragan rounded out the top 10 and remains 13th in the standings, the top spot outside of the Chase.

Carl Edwards entered the race second in the standings, but electrical issues with his car caused him to lose 15 laps early on before eventually finishing 33rd. Edwards dropped two spots to fourth place in the standings and is 168 points behind Johnson for the lead.

Edwards didn't have such issues one night earlier in the Nationwide Series race, where he took fifth place and remains in strong contention to repeat as the Nationwide Series champion after his fifth straight top-five finish. He remains second in the standings, 196 points behind leader Clint Bowyer.

"I appreciate everybody sticking around so late tonight for the race and waiting out the rain," said Edwards after the Nationwide event. "That's real cool for the fans to be here. I just wish we could have had more for them."

In the NHRA race in Richmond, Va., Robert Hight was the only Ford driver to make it out of the first round. Unfortunately, Hight defeated his teammate John Force in the first round before losing to Ron Capps in the second round. Hight dropped two spots in the standings to fifth place, 92 points behind leader Tim Wilkerson with only two races to go.

"It's not over," said Hight of his chances to win the championship. "We can't give up, and we can't hang our heads; we have to keep working hard. It is not over. We have a good running car. This race track was a little odd. If you don't have it just fast enough leaving the starting line, it wants to shake and that is what happened to us."

Ashley Force dropped one spot in the standings to sixth; John Force dropped one spot in the standings to eighth place, and Mike Neff remains ninth in the standings.

Earlier in the week, Neff set an NHRA record in qualifying after running an ET of 4.041 seconds in a 1,000 foot run with his new BOSS 500 Ford engine. Brothers Tony and Cruz Pedregon tied the mark later on in qualifying.

In Formula Drift, it may have taken Vaughn Gittin Jr. the entire season, but he earned his first Formula Drift victory in the series season finale at Irwindale, Calif. Gittin Jr. clinched the win after defeating series champion Tanner Foust in the final head-to-head battle of the season.

"It has been a season of ups and downs for me, and there isn't a better way to put it behind," said Gittin Jr. "Thanks to all my fans and sponsors for supporting me. We are coming out swinging with a 2010 Falken Tire / Ford Mustang for the 2009 season."

Gittin Jr. finished the season eighth in the standings.

Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will head to Martinsville, Va.

source Ford press release