- Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Fusion, won the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Speedway in Long Pond, Pa. Edwards moves up two spots in the standings to third place, 184 points behind leader Kyle Busch.
- Marcos Ambrose was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal, Quebec, finishing third in the No. 59 Fusion. Ambrose remains 12th in the standings.
- Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins, drivers of the No. 61 Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype, won the Grand-Am Rolex Series Race in Montreal, Quebec.
- Eric de Doncker, driver of the No. 1 Mustang FR500GT4, landed top-three finishes in all three of the GT4 European Cup races at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 3, 2008 – Ford Racing fans enjoyed two victories this weekend as Carl Edwards drove the No. 99 Fusion to a first-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Speedway in Long Pond, Pa., and Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins came away with the Grand-Am Rolex Series race victory in Montreal, Quebec.
Edwards’ win was his fourth of the season and his first since April 6. It was only a matter of time before Edwards found himself in victory lane again as he has 13 top-10 finishes in the last 16 races.
“That was just unbelievable,” said Edwards. “Everybody at Office Depot, we’ve had an unbelievable run with Office Depot. Ford Motor Company, they make the best cars out there. I’m proud to drive them.”
The win moved Edwards up two spots in the standings to third place, 184 points behind leader Kyle Busch.
David Ragan and Jamie McMurray joined Edwards in the top 10, finishing fifth and ninth, respectively. Ragan remains 14th in the standings but is just 46 points out of the final Chase spot. Matt Kenseth, who finished 11th, dropped to 13th in the standings but is just 11 points out of the final Chase spot. Greg Biffle was 13th and is eighth in the standings.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series was in action on the road course in Montreal, Quebec, where the race was run in rainy conditions before being called after only 49 of the scheduled 74 laps were completed. It marked the first time in NASCAR history a points race was run in the rain with grooved rain tires.
Marcos Ambrose dominated the race in the No. 59 Fusion, leading for 27 laps and nearly building an eight-second lead. However, on lap 42, Ambrose was penalized for a pit lane speeding and had to serve a drive-through penalty. He returned to the track in third place and wasn’t able to gain any more spots before the race was called a few laps later.
“I feel like we really dominated today’s race,” said Ambrose. “I made an error down pit lane, I just couldn’t see the pit exit and we sped. I went down and had a look at it, and it’s still hard to see. I’m just really disappointed, I feel like the race was ours today, and I tripped over myself.”
The Grand-Am Rolex Series was also in Montreal, where Frisselle and Wilkins came away with the closest victory in Rolex Series history. Frisselle and Wilkins had their No. 61 Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype positioned for a third-place finish coming down to the finish line, when the leading car ran out of gas with just a few feet to go.
Wilkins, who was driving at the time, made a great move to jump from third to first by swerving to the right of the lead car and squeezing by to earn the win at the last second.
“We need to thank Ford for getting us a great engine,” said Wilkins. “Brian did a great job with recovering from the earlier contact and to get the car back up front. This feels great for AIM Autosport. I can’t say enough for the guys we’ve been working with, and it feels really great.”
Two other Ford teams finished in the top 10. Ian James and John Pew combined for a seventh-place result, while Burt Frisselle and Ricky Taylor were in ninth place.
Over in Europe, Eric de Doncker was able to string together three podium finishes in the GT4 European Cup races at his home track, Spa Francorchamps in Belgium. De Doncker, driver of the No. 1 Mustang FR500GT4, finished third in the first two races of the weekend before placing runner-up in the third and final race of the weekend.
“I knew it was going to be a long race, so I kept up the pace,” said de Doncker. “I’m very happy, championship-wise. I didn’t get the victory I wanted, but I’ve got a lot of points this weekend and keep my place at the top of the points.”
Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Series will be in Watkins Glen, N.Y., while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will be in Nashville, Tenn. The NHRA will be back in action in Brainerd, Minn., and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge will be in Newton, Iowa.
Ford Racing Technology
Ford Racing Technology, based in Dearborn, Mich., is responsible for major racing operations in North America, including NASCAR (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Craftsman Truck), Grand American sports car racing, NHRA drag racing, USAC midget car racing and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup. Ford Racing also oversees the development and marketing of Ford Racing Engines and Performance Parts, the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts, and the marketing of the Ford Racing brand through initiatives such as Team Ford Racing. For more information regarding Ford Racing’s activities, please visit www.fordracing.com.
