DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 17, 2008 – With only two races remaining in the inaugural season of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge, Andrew Caddell, driver of the No. 43 Ford Mustang FR500S, has all but wrapped up the Miller Cup.
The season concludes this weekend with a series double-header at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. The first race will be held on Friday and the season finale race will take place on Sunday.
“I am really looking forward to going to Miller Motorsports Park, as that is the home of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup, and it will be great to race these cars there,” said Caddell. “I have raced at the Miller Motorsports Park before. I won the MX-5 Cup series race there last year and know the track pretty well.”
Caddell holds a 67-point lead over second place driver Jamie Slone, almost mathematically assuring him the inaugural championship. The only way Slone would have a chance to sneak by for the points lead would be if Caddell would finish close to last in both races while Slone places first or second each time. That would certainly be a tough upset for Slone to pull off as Caddell has started all but one race from the pole position and has won three of the six events. When he didn’t win, Caddell’s worst finish was second place.
Slone realizes that the scenario that needs to play out in order for him to win the title will be nearly impossible. “It’s been over for a while,” said Slone. “You just don’t have situations here where you have debris all over the track and you cut tires. We’re not in NASCAR circle-track racing where many of those things can happen. We’re all working for the best of the rest.”
No matter what happens this weekend, the inaugural series champion will have something else to look forward in addition to the Miller Cup. As a championship bonus, Ford Racing announced that the winner would earn a seat in a Ford Mustang FR500C in the 2009 season-opening Grand-Am KONI Challenge race, the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway.
The Ford Mustang FR500C that competes in the GS class of the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series features the 5.0-liter Cammer engine and represents the next step up from the FR500S in the Ford Mustang racing ladder utilized in Ford Racing Mustang Challenge competition. The FR500S was built at an assembly plant in Flat Rock, Mich., and is the first race car Ford ever produced on assembly line.
Another exciting aspect for fans to watch at this weekend’s Mustang Challenge races will be to see how drifting legend Vaughn Gittin Jr. does when it comes to road racing. Gittin Jr. will be driving the No. 00 Mustang FR500S in one of this weekend’s races. His drifting ability should make him feel right at home at Miller Motorsports Park, which has 23 turns on its full course.
“I know that the guys I will be racing against all have a lot of experience already in the Ford Mustang, but I feel like I have a decent head start from the car control I have learned from drifting and of course by running at Miller Park in the school,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel and racing a completely different kind of Mustang than I’m used to. My only expectations are to have a lot of fun out there, who knows, maybe I will surprise a few people this weekend!”
For fans that aren’t able to take in the exciting Mustang action, look for a three-part series about the inaugural season of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge on Discovery’s HD Theatre.
The series will give the audience a unique look at the culture of road racing and the many ups and downs of a full racing season.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 229,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.
