- Carl Edwards was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas City, Mo., finishing second in his No. 99 Fusion. Edwards dropped one spot to second place in the Chase standings, just 10 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.
- Ashley Force, driver of the Castrol GTX Mustang, was the runner up in the NHRA race in Memphis, Tenn. Force moved up one spot in the Countdown standings to fifth place, 92 points behind Tim Wilkerson for the lead.
- David Ragan was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas City, Mo., finishing third in his No. 6 Fusion. He remains fifth in the standings.
DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 28, 2008 – Carl Edwards and Ashley Force were both just fractions of a second away from capturing victories on an important weekend for Ford Racing.
After starting the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Kansas City, Mo., from the 34th position, Edwards made a run all the way to the front of the pack and found himself in a tight battle with Jimmie Johnson down the stretch. The two battled back and forth during the last several laps, with Edwards making a bold move on the final lap to take the lead. The move ended up being a little too bold for the car to handle as Edwards passed Johnson on the bottom of turn three and slid up the track, touching the wall in turn four and allowing Johnson to jump back into the lead to beat Edwards by just over 0.2 seconds.
The Roush Fenway Racing trio of Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth continued their strong performances in the Chase as all three drivers finished in the top five for the second week in a row just one week after compiling a 1-2-3 finish.
Edwards dropped to second place in the standings, just 10 points behind Johnson for the lead. Biffle, who had won the previous two races, finished right after Edwards to take third place. Biffle remains third in the standings, just 30 points out of first place. Kenseth rounded out the top five and moved up one spot in the standings to ninth place, 192 points out of the lead.
“It’s a great points day for us, actually,” said Edwards despite falling out of first in the standings. “The lead doesn’t matter right now. It’s however many points you can get, and that’s that. If it’s Greg and Jimmie and I running 1‑2‑3, swapping the spots back and forth for the next however many races, it just takes one of us to have a bad race and that guy is out. So, yeah, it’s still a good points day. If you finish second every week, I guarantee you’ll win a championship. So, we just have to keep working this hard.”
David Ragan also ran well, finishing eighth for his 10th top-10 finish of the year.
The NHRA race in Memphis, Tenn., saw three Ford Mustangs that were in the Countdown to 1 make it into the semifinal round. Unfortunately, Tim Wilkerson stopped all three of the John Force Racing drivers from walking away with a victory.
Ashley Force lost to Wilkerson in the final round after defeating fellow Mustang driver Bob Tasca III in the first round, Gary Scelzi in the second round and teammate Mike Neff in the third round. Neff took out Jeff Arend and Jack Beckman on his way to the semifinal. Wilkerson also defeated Robert Hight, who joined Neff and Force in the semifinal after beating Ron Capps and Cruz Pedregon.
John Force also made it out of the first round by defeating Tommy Johnson Jr. before losing to Wilkerson.
All four John Force Racing drivers moved up one spot in the Countdown standings. Hight moved into third place, just 74 points behind Wilkerson for the lead, while Ashley Force jumped up to fifth, 92 points out of the lead. John Force sits seventh, 193 points out, and Neff is ninth, 214 points back.
“Getting three Fords in the semis is tough,” said John Force. “There are a lot of good cars out here, but I’ve got four great Mustangs. I’m with a new sponsor – Sanyo – right in their hometown. We really wanted to get them a win. I wish Robert would have had a little bit better luck. I think they played it a little safe [in the semis]. We didn’t think Wilkerson would step up [but he] stepped up and bit us.”
The NASCAR Nationwide Series race also took place in Kansas City, and just like the Sprint Cup race, there were three Ford Fusions in the top five spots. Ragan led the Ford drivers across the finish line, taking third place and remaining fifth in the standings.
“Well, that’s about the best we’ve been on a mile-and-a-half track in a while,” said Ragan. “We always seem to be pretty good on Friday and then when they drop the green flag we’re usually just pretty average. But, we made a good run and made good pit stops. You know, we were a fifth- or sixth-place car and got track position at the end and finished third.”
Edwards, who is trying to repeat as Nationwide Series champion, finished fourth and is 196 points behind leader Clint Bowyer, while Matt Kenseth took fifth place. Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top 10 in the No. 59 Fusion.
Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will head to Talladega, Ala. Mustangs will be racing in both North America and Europe as the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series holds its season finale in Alton, Va., and the FIA GT3 European Championship and the GT4 European Cup will compete at the Nogaro Circuit in France.
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.
