- Marcos Ambrose, driver of the No. 59 Fusion, won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., becoming the first Australian to win a premier NASCAR event and moving up two spots in the standings to 10th place. Ambrose was also the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen, finishing third after starting the race from the 43rd position.
- Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins, drivers of the No. 61 Ford-Riley Daytona Prototype, won the Grand-Am Rolex Series race at Watkins Glen. The duo started from pole position and has won two straight races.
- Erik Darnell was the top driver in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Nashville, Tenn., finishing second in the No. 99 F-150. Darnell moved up one spot in the standings to sixth place.
- James Gue and Bret Seafuse were the top Ford drivers in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge race in Newton, Iowa, finishing fourth in the No. 37 Mustang FR500C.
- John Force, driver of the Castrol GTX Mustang, made it all the way to the semifinals of the NHRA race in Brainerd, Minn. Force moved up one spot in the standings to seventh place.
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 10, 2008 – Ford Racing fans at Watkins Glen, N.Y., were treated to two major victories this weekend as Marcos Ambrose won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and Brian Frisselle and Mark Wilkins won the Grand-Am Rolex Series race.
Ambrose finally earned his first NASCAR victory – and the first NASCAR victory for an Australian – after a series of close calls during the past two seasons. The win helped Ambrose move up two spots in the standings to 10th place. Matt Kenseth and David Ragan joined Ambrose in the top 10, finishing third and ninth, respectively.
Following his win on Saturday, Ambrose began the NASCAR Sprint Cup race from the 43rd position on Sunday. Ambrose put together an incredible run during the race, passing almost everybody in the field before finishing third in just his third Sprint Cup race.
“It’s a great weekend,” said Ambrose. “I’m going to enjoy it when I get back to Charlotte. I’ve dragged my family a long way, away from immediate friends and family down home, and it’s just a lot of commitment. When you have a weekend like this, it just validates the choices that I’ve made to come across here and have a go at it. It’s a big, bad world out here in NASCAR world, and I’m just pleased that I’m able to have a weekend like this to remember.”
Currently, three Ford drivers are in the top 12 spots in the standings with a just four races before the Chase begins. Carl Edwards finished ninth in the No. 99 Fusion and moved up one spot to second place in the standings, 242 points behind leader Kyle Busch. Matt Kenseth was 12th and moved up one spot into the 12th and final Chase position. Greg Biffle finished 21st and is 10th in the standings. David Ragan still has a good chance to make the Chase, as he is 14th in the standings but is just 89 points out of the final spot.
Watkins Glen also hosted the Grand-Am Rolex series race on Friday evening, where Frisselle and Wilkins captured their second victory in a row.
“The first win was great, but this one means more because of the way we got it, leading from the pole and really controlling the race,” said Frisselle. “It’s what you dream of. That first stint was so stressful because the track was changing all the time, but I knew we had the lead so I tried to get as much as I could without taking any risks. It was quite a balance, but it worked out great, and Mark did an awesome job at the end to keep our lead after the yellow.”
Both Michael Shank Racing Fords had top-10 finishes as Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson finished in eighth place and Ian James and John Pew were ninth. Memo Gidley and Brad Jaeger rounded out the top 10.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was in Nashville, Tenn., where Erik Darnell finished second in the No. 99 F-150 for his fifth top-five finish during the last six races. Darnell led for 29 laps and was passed with just three laps to go. He moved up one spot in the standings to sixth place. Colin Braun was fourth and remains 14th in the standings.
John Force was the top Ford driver in the NHRA race in Brainerd, Minn., making it all the way to the semifinal round. Force gained important standings position and moved up one spot to seventh place with just two races before the NHRA’s Countdown to the Championship begins.
All of Force’s teammates are currently in the top 10. Robert Hight is third, Ashley Force is fifth and Mike Neff is in 10th. Another Ford driver, Bob Tasca III, is just one spot out of the Countdown in 11th place, 79 points behind Neff for the final spot.
Five Ford Mustang FR500Cs landed top-10 finishes in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge race in Newton, Iowa. The top Ford drivers in the race were James Gue and Bret Seafuse, who finished fourth. Jack Roush Jr. and Dean Martin were sixth and Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell grabbed a seventh-place finish. Mike Canney and Hugh Plumb crossed the line ninth, while Ray Mason and Billy Johnson rounded out the top 10.
Next weekend, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series will head to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., while the NHRA will head to Reading, Pa. Ford Mustangs also will be in action in the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series race in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, and in the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge race at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Conn.
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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.