- Robert Hight, driver of the AAA of So. Cal. Mustang, was the runner-up in the NHRA race at Norwalk, Ohio. Hight moved up one spot in the standings to fourth place.
- Erik Darnell was the top Ford finisher in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Memphis, Tenn., finishing second in the No. 99 F-150. Darnell moved up one spot in the standings to seventh place.
- Carl Edwards was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race, finishing fifth in the No. 60 Fusion. Edwards moved up one spot in the standings to third place.
- Carl Edwards was the top Ford driver in the rain-shortened NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Loudon, N.H., finishing 17th in the No. 99 Fusion. Edwards remains fourth in the standings.
DEARBORN, Mich., June 29, 2008 – Robert Hight finally broke his string of hard luck at this weekend’s NHRA race in Norwalk, Ohio, with a strong runner-up finish, highlighting Ford Racing action this weekend.
Erik Darnell also treated Ford Racing fans to a strong performance in Memphis, Tenn., coming away with a second place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.
Hight came into Sunday’s race in as the top qualifier for the 25th time in his career. Hight defeated teammate Mike Neff in the first round, Gary Densham in the second round and Cruz Pedregon in the third round before falling to Tony Pedregon in the final.
“My Mustang is doing way better,” Hight said. “In the final, it put some cylinders out, but it was way on down the track. Tony took a shot at us, and he ran two hundredths quicker, and he killed me on the starting line. I would have needed a .10 light to beat him, because he outran us.”
Hight moved up one spot in the standings to fourth place, while his teammate Ashley Force remains the top Ford driver in the standings, sitting in third.
On Saturday night, Darnell drove his No. 99 F-150 to within .269 second of victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Darnell has finished three consecutive races in the top five, including a first-place showing a few weeks ago. He continues his climb up the standings, moving up one spot to seventh place.
“Overall, it was a real good night for our Northern Tool + Equipment Ford,” said Darnell. “Second is nothing to frown about. I was really hoping to pick up the win tonight. But (Crew Chief) Matt Puccia and all the guys on pit road did a great job with adjustments.”
Rick Crawford and Bobby East each joined Darnell with top-10 finishes, placing fourth and eighth, respectively. Crawford remains fourth in the standings, just 74 points behind leader Ron Hornaday.
Earlier in the day Saturday, Carl Edwards and David Ragan finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Loudon, N.H.
“The team is doing well,” said Edwards. “The pit stops were unbelievable. That’s the reason we’re there and we got the fifth position, but it was very cool for Under Armour to come on board. I really wanted to win that race.
“The cars were very close out there today, and small things made the difference.”
Greg Biffle was racing for 10th place on the final lap when he was spun out. He would eventually finish 19th.
Edwards was also the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race the following day, finishing 17th in the No. 99 Fusion. The race ended 27 laps early as rain started to come down during a caution period. The circumstances made for a dramatic change in final positions as many of the lead drivers pitted during the final caution before the race was called.
“We would be fourth, fifth or sixth right now if the caution would have come out a lap earlier,” said Biffle, who finished 21st. “It’s unfortunate that that happened. We were just one car away from having a good finish, but we were just off all day. We just need to keep working on our stuff and get better.”
Edwards and Biffle remain solidly in the top-12 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings as Edwards remains in fourth place and Biffle dropped one spot in the standings to eighth place. Matt Kenseth, who finished 18th in the race, dropped out of the top 12 to 13th place, but is just 15 points out of the final Chase spot.
Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Grand-Am Rolex Series will be in Dayton, Fla., while the Grand-Am KONI Challenge will be at Watkins Glen, N.Y. In Europe, Ford Mustangs will be competing at the Oschersleben Motorsports Arena in Germany.
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.