Ford Racing Expands NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Roster With
Addition of Penske Racing for 2013 Season
DEARBORN, Mich. -March 1, 2012 – Penske Racing is coming back to
Ford.
After a 10-year hiatus, Penske Racing returns its two-car NASCAR Sprint Cup
operation to Ford Racing beginning with the 2013 Daytona 500, and if its latest
term is anything like the most recent one, Ford fans will have plenty to cheer
about.
Penske Racing, recognized as one of racing’s all-time great teams, most
recently spent nine seasons with Ford from 1994-2002, posting 27 wins and 33
poles among three drivers. In addition, its teams finished in the Top 10 48.6
percent of the time (228-of-469 starts).
The organization first raced with Ford in 1976 and 1977, before coming back
in 1994. In total, through 524 NASCAR starts (509 Cup Series and 15 Nationwide
Series) with Ford, Penske Racing teams earned 28 victories (27 Cup Series and
one Nationwide Series) and 42 pole positions (36 Cup Series and six Nationwide
Series).
“This is an historic day for our racing program, and we are thrilled to see
another member of the extended Ford family coming back,” said Mark Fields,
Ford’s president of The Americas. “Working together with Penske Racing gives
Ford another championship-level program, and we are excited to take our racing
program to all-new levels.”
Penske Racing officially takes the track with Ford in the 2013 season, and
the organization will be part of the competition debut of the 2013 NASCAR
Fusion, which was first shown in Charlotte on Jan. 24, as part of the Charlotte
Media Tour.
“It was important to get this agreement in place early so that we can plan
ahead for the debut of the new 2013 NASCAR Fusion,” said Jamie Allison, Ford
Racing director. “We will work with Roush Fenway on the final development of the
new car during this season, but we want to be able to have our teams building
their new cars for the 2013 season before the end of the year, as the transition
to the new body is taking place.
“With the operations and technology resources Penske brings from all forms
of racing, we know they will be a strong addition to our program, and we look
forward to working with them and all our teams to create a stronger Ford NASCAR
program with even greater depth.”
Added Roger Penske: “We look forward to joining the Ford Racing NASCAR
program beginning in 2013. We appreciate the long-term commitment that Ford has
made to Penske Racing and for their continued support of the sport.”
Penske Racing was instrumental in bringing the first four-door sedan to the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the Taurus in 1998. As one of the teams
responsible for getting Taurus on track, Penske worked closely with Ford and
Roush officials in designing the car. They were rewarded immediately as Rusty
Wallace won the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in the car’s debut race.
Wallace was Penske’s lead driver throughout the most recent time with Ford,
and it didn’t take long for them to find victory lane as they won at Rockingham
in only their second start. That was the first of 23 wins for Wallace, which
ranks eighth on Ford Racing’s all-time list. Wallace, who finished in the Top 10
in points every year during that stretch, also dominated in qualifying, as he
won 21 poles – including a series-high nine in 2000.
The 1994 season was memorable as Wallace won a series-best eight times,
including three straight in June at Dover, Pocono and Michigan. He also won
back-to-back events at Dover and Martinsville in September en route to a
third-place finish in the point standings.
After expanding to a two-car team in 1998 through the purchase of the No.
12 team from Michael Kranefuss, Penske oversaw the first series wins for Jeremy
Mayfield (Pocono, 1998) and Ryan Newman (New Hampshire, 2002). Newman turned in
one of the best rookie seasons in NASCAR history as he won the All-Star Race and
captured six poles while winning top rookie honors and finishing sixth in the
final point standings.
“Penske Racing contends for the Sprint Cup title every year, and our goal,
with the addition of this program, is that Ford will compete for the
manufacturers’ title every year as well,” Allison said.
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