Ford's dominance at MIS goes back to Henry in 1901

In 1901, Henry Ford understood the importance of winning automobile races. On October 10 of that year, Henry brought a car of his own design to a one-mile horse racing track on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan. He was there to compete in a "sweepstakes," a head-to-head race against a man named Alexander Winton -- one of, if not the most famous racecar driver of the era, and who also happened to run his own successful automobile manufacturing company.

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Ford's 2,200-pound car was powered by an opposed, two-cylinder, 538-cubic inch gasoline engine that turned an impressive 900 rpm and produced an estimated 26 horsepower. Nobody gave Ford much of a chance to win against his more experienced rival driving a proven and more powerful car. Nobody, that is, except Henry, his wife Clara and Ed Huff, whose race duties included ride-along moral support for Henry and inward-leaning ballast in the left-hand turns.

This was quite literally a go-or-go-home scenario for Ford. Financially, he was on the rocks. His first automobile manufacturing business, the Detroit Automobile Company, had just ended in failure. He needed money for a new company he had planned. He knew that if he had any shot at winning over his potential investors, his car had to win this 10-lap race. To the roaring delight of the large crowd on hand -- mostly there to see Winton -- the underdog Ford won. The investors were impressed and the Henry Ford Company was born. A year later, after a dispute with his investors, that company also closed its doors, but only after Ford had the assets in place for his next, more enduring effort, the Ford Motor Company.

It was the most important victory in the history of the Ford name.

Starting with that first sweepstakes victory, and continuing on to this very day, winning automobile races has been a key part of the global business model for Ford Motor Company. A brief glance at the history book will show you that Ford has won in seemingly every important form of racing there is, or ever has been.

Lately, it would also seem that winning head-to-head races in and around Detroit continues to be part of that plan as well. Case in point: Michigan International Speedway. When the track held its first NASCAR race in June of 1969, it was obvious this event would hold special significance among the Big Three automakers of Detroit. That is, bragging rights.

In the first race held at the wide, sweeping 2-mile oval, Cale Yarborough's Wood Brothers Mercury beat David Pearson's Holman-Moody Ford to the checkers by five car lengths. The Ford Motor Company placed five cars in the top-10 that day, including the first four across the line.

They've kept a firm, overall grip on those bragging rights ever since.

They didn't stop there. Of the 76 NASCAR Grand National, Winston Cup and Nextel Cup races held at MIS, the Ford Motor Company has won 42 of them (Mercury cars included). That's a .552 batting average in my book. By way of comparison, GM cars have won 26 races and Chrysler cars have won eight (all Dodges).

Considering each manufacturer always brings its execs, suppliers and customers to each NASCAR race there, and it's in the Big Three's own back yard, Ford has had good reason to pull its shoulders back and stand tall.

The list of winning Ford drivers at MIS reads like a NASCAR who's who roster: David Pearson, nine wins; Bill Elliott, seven wins; Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett, four wins; Rusty Wallace and Davey Allison, three wins; Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, two-wins; and Ernie Irvan, Geoffrey Bodine, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards with one victory each.

You'll notice the current and recent Roush Fenway drivers are well represented in that list. In fact, Roush Fenway drivers have won the last two races at MIS, as well as four of the last six, and five of the last 11 races there. Jarrett was the only other Ford driver to win in that span in a Yates Ford, making it six of the last 11 for Ford.

Even though Roush Fenway cars are pretty much flying solo in the Ford-cars-with-a-chance-to-win category these days, they're more than holding their own this week with Biffle just beaten out for the pole by Jeff Gordon. Both of Saturday's Cup practice sessions were paced by Fords, with Edwards fastest in Happy Hour and with three Roush Fenway cars in the top-five.

What is it that makes Fords so well suited to MIS? Kenseth offered this opinion, "I don't really know. Historically, I know the last couple of years we've had good cars here. It kind of suits our engine package, a 2-mile track, there's not a lot of rpm drop-off, I think, has always been good for the Fords, they seem to run good up high. So, I think that's been a plus, and I learned a lot from Mark Martin and Jeff Burton, that's most of the reason for the success that Roush has had here."

I propose it has just as much to do with the simple matter of emphasis. All teams have programs in place for all the different types of tracks NASCAR races on. For some time now, Roush Fenway has placed a great deal of emphasis on their intermediate and 2-mile oval program. As a result, the cars they field at MIS and at the very similar California Speedway (the sites of two of the three Roush Fenway wins so far in 2007) are uniformly stout and pretty well dialed-in right off the hauler.

If ever the rain stops in the Irish Hills, and we actually get a race in this week, you can be sure Roush Fenway will be contending for the win. With two cars solidly in the Chase, each with just one race win bonus in escrow, now is the time for No. 17 and the No. 99 teams to put it all on the line in a bid for victory -- just like Henry Ford in 1901.