Roush Fenway, Ford agree to contract extension

FORD RACING AND ROUSH FENWAY AGREE ON MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT

DEARBORN, Mich. (Oct. 22, 2008) -- It's 20 NASCAR seasons and counting for Ford and Roush Fenway Racing.

The long-time partnership between one of NASCAR's premier race operations and Ford Motor Company will continue as the company announced today it has agreed in principle to a multi-year agreement with Roush Fenway Racing that will see the team continue running Fords in all three of NASCAR's major series.

"Roush Fenway Racing is synonymous with Ford, especially when it comes to motorsports, so we're thrilled that we are going to continue our partnership for the foreseeable future," said Brian Wolfe, director, Ford Racing Technology. "Everybody knows that the auto industry in this country is facing some difficult times, but the loyalty and commitment Jack and his entire organization have shown us throughout these past few months has been inspiring. We're grateful to have long-term relationships like this and look forward to continued success winning races and championships together."

Roush, whose first job out of college was working as an engineer for Ford Motor Company in 1964, has been racing Fords in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ever since he arrived on the scene in 1988. In that time, his organization has won 110 races in NASCAR's top division, including back-to-back championships with drivers Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch in 2003 and 2004.

Currently, three Roush Fenway Ford Fusion drivers are competing in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship: Greg Biffle (currently 2nd), Carl Edwards (4th) and Matt Kenseth (10th).

In addition, Roush Fenway has 95 NASCAR Nationwide Series victories and championships with Greg Biffle (2002) and Carl Edwards (2007) to its credit while posting a series-best 49 wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and one series title in 2000 with Biffle behind the wheel.

Roush himself was honored with the company's "Spirit of Ford Award" in 2006, in honor of his 40th season of racing and winning with Ford Motor Company products in a variety of racing series, including drag racing, sports car racing and stock car racing.

"I'm proud to continue Roush Fenway's long-standing partnership with Ford Motor Company," said Roush. "It's great to see Ford's continued commitment to not just Roush Fenway, but the great sport of racing. We have won championships and many races together over the last 20 years and we certainly look forward to adding to those numbers across NASCAR's top three series in the years to come."

Ford Motor Company will continue with its support of Roush Fenway Racing, Yates Racing and Wood Brothers Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009. The manufacturer will also continue to support its Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series teams with contingency programs and engineering assistance, including continued technical support of engine development through Roush Yates Engines.

Ford has won 589 all-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races dating back to 1950, when Jimmy Florian won the manufacturer's first event at Dayton Speedway on June 25 of that year. Ford has been involved in racing since Henry Ford won his first and only race on Oct. 10, 1901 and used the notoriety from that event to attract the financial investors to help establish Ford Motor Company in June of 1903.

"The main reason that we are involved in NASCAR is to use it as a marketing platform to help us sell cars and trucks. That's the key to our continued involvement. But make no mistake, the plan to achieve that kind of return requires us to beat Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota on the race track," said Wolfe. "We're confident that this agreement with Jack Roush and John Henry will allow us to achieve that."

-credit: rfr