- Robert Hight, driver of the AAA of So. Cal. Mustang, won the NHRA race in Indianapolis and remains third in the standings.
- Greg Biffle was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Fontana, Calif., finishing second in the No. 16 Fusion. Biffle moved up one spot in the standings to sixth place.
- Carl Edwards was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Fontana, Calif., finishing second in the No. 60 Fusion. Edwards remains third in the standings, 222 points behind leader Clint Bowyer.
- Oswaldo Negri Jr. and Mark Patterson, drivers of the No. 60 Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype, won the Grand-Am Rolex Series race in Millville, N.J.
- Jack Roush Jr. and Dean Martin were the top Ford drivers in the Grand-Am Rolex Series race in Millville, N.J., finishing fourth in the No. 59 Mustang FR500C.
- Andrew Caddell, driver of the No. 43 Mustang FR500S, won the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Race in Millville, N.J.
DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 1, 2008 – Mustang driver Robert Hight won the biggest NHRA race of the season, capturing victory at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, while Oswaldo Negri Jr. and Mark Patterson won the Grand-Am Rolex Series race in Millville, N.J., on a busy and successful weekend for Ford Racing.
Hight, who qualified first for John Force Racing and Ford, also won the U.S. Nationals in 2006 and was the runner-up in the same race last season. En route to his victory, he defeated Frank Hawley in the first round, his teammate Mike Neff in the second round, Tim Wilkerson in the third round and Jack Beckman in the final.
“We started out real good with my car on Friday,” said Hight. “We clinched the No. 1 spot that day, then we proceeded to make five runs in a row that it smoked the tires at about the same spot, and that includes the first round. After the first round, I wouldn’t have bet on my team for nothing. Different things just kept biting us, and we would smoke the tires for a different reason. They kept giving us chances, and when you give Jimmy Prock [crew chief] enough chances, he’s going to fix it.”
Hight, who already clinched a spot in the Countdown, remains third in the standings. All three of Hight’s teammates at John Force Racing have also clinched spots in the Countdown, which begins in Concord, N.C., on Sept. 14.
Both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Nationwide Series were in Fontana, Calif., this weekend. In the Sprint Cup race, Greg Biffle took his No. 16 Fusion to a second-place finish after running nearly the entire race from the second position. Although Biffle could not catch Jimmie Johnson for the win, he was able to clinch a spot in the Chase, moving up one spot to sixth place in the standings.
“I wish we could have got the 3M Ford Fusion car in Victory Lane,” said Biffle. “The Ford engines ran really good tonight… We’re so glad to be in the chase. That’s so exciting for us as a team.”
Biffle’s teammate Matt Kenseth helped his cause in trying to get into the Chase by finishing in fifth place and moving up one spot in the standings to ninth. Carl Edwards finished sixth and earned his 17th top-10 finish in the last 20 races. He remains second in the standings, just 208 points behind leader Kyle Busch.
David Ragan ran a solid race, finishing 13th, but remains 13th in the standings, just 17 points behind Clint Bowyer for the final Chase spot. The race in Richmond, Va., next weekend will be Ragan’s final chance to catch Bowyer before the Chase begins.
In the Nationwide Series race, Edwards, who is the defending series champion, grabbed a second-place finish and remains third in the standings. He is 18 points out of second place and is 222 points behind leader Clint Bowyer.
Jamie McMurray joined Edwards in the top five with a fifth-place finish, while David Ragan took ninth place and remains sixth in the standings.
Ford Racing drivers could be seen everywhere at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J., this weekend as the track hosted the Grand-Am Rolex Series, Grand-Am KONI Challenge and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup.
Negri Jr. and Patterson got their first win of the season and the second of their career in the Rolex Series race, holding off the second place car by just .459 seconds. Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins landed their fourth-straight top-10 finish after a sixth-place performance, and Ian James and John Pew were right behind in seventh place.
Andrew Caddell continued to dominate the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge, capturing his fifth pole of the season and third victory through only six races. Caddell has yet to finish worse than second in a race this season.
Jack Roush Jr. and Dean Martin were the top Ford drivers in the KONI Challenge race, finishing fourth in their No. 59 Mustang FR500C. Three more Mustangs grabbed top-10 finishes as Mark Ackley and Todd Snyder were fifth, Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell took seventh place and Jim Click and Mike McGovern were right behind in eighth place.
Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be in Richmond, Va., while the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will head to Gateway International raceway in Madison, Ill.
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Ford Racing TechnologyFord 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.