Motorcraft to continue long affiliation with Wood Bros.

DEARBORN, Mich. -- For the 10th consecutive year, Ford Customer Service Division's Motorcraft brand will team with legendary Wood Brothers Racing to compete in the Cup Series.

A new addition to the No. 21 Ford Fusion for the 2010 season is the co-sponsorship of Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers. Ford Motor Co.'s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers are the fastest-growing service brand in the country and is on track to reach 600 stores nationwide in early 2010.

"We are very pleased to have Motorcraft and Quick Lane with us for the 2010 season," Wood Brothers Racing co-owner Eddie Wood said. "We value Ford Customer Service Division's involvement with us for the past 10 years, and we are excited to have both Motorcraft and Quick Lane on our NASCAR Fusions this season. Ford Customer Service Division has been loyal to us, and we have always been loyal to them. It feels like family -- Wood Brothers Racing with Motorcraft and Quick Lane on board."

Motorcraft, a Ford Motor Co. brand of automotive parts ranging from filters and spark plugs to engines and transmissions, will be the primary sponsor on the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford Fusion for 10 races, beginning in February at the Daytona 500 and culminating with the season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers are operated by Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers, but are equipped to provide services for all makes and models. Quick Lanes offer routine vehicle maintenance services such as oil and filter changes, and light repair services like brake repairs and tire replacements, all done by factory-trained technicians with no appointment necessary for customers.

"It's a new and exciting year for us. We look to build on the strides we made last year," Wood Brothers Racing co-owner Len Wood said. "On our partial schedule in 2009, we achieved five top-10 starts and four top-16 finishes. We hope to carry that momentum into 2010."

Bill Elliott, who drove the Coors/Motorcraft Thunderbird to a Cup championship in 1988, is scheduled to be the driver for all of Motorcraft and Quick Lane's sponsored races. Elliott, Motorcraft and the Wood Brothers first joined forces in 2007.

"We are very proud to continue and enhance our long-standing relationship with Wood Brothers Racing and Bill Elliott," said Brett Wheatley, director of marketing, Ford Customer Service Division. "The Wood Brothers celebrate their 60th year in racing and 60th year with Ford this season. We are thrilled to be associated with such a tremendous group of people with a rich and successful history in one of the most popular sports in the country."

The Wood Brothers are acknowledged pioneers in the sport of stock-car racing, and have earned 96 wins in 59 years of NASCAR competition -- second-most in Ford Racing history.

For the 2010 season, the Motorcraft and Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers logos will appear on both the No. 21 Ford Fusion in NASCAR and on the Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car of Bob Tasca III in NHRA.

FordParts.com also will have a presence on both race cars for the 2010 season. FordParts.com allows customers to shop for, order, and receive original equipment parts through its new Web site. It allows customers to remain connected to a Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership of their choice for the parts expertise, personal delivery assistance, and post-sale follow-up associated with a traditional purchase at a parts counter.

In addition to the serving as the primary vehicle sponsor for Wood Brothers and Tasca Racing, FCSD brings a very aggressive brand awareness campaign with a significant trackside presence at selected NASCAR and NHRA events in the form of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing Experience. The massive display, spreading out over half a football field, will let race fans connect with Motorcraft and Quick Lane brands in a unique way.

FCSD and its associated brands have won a place in the hearts and minds of racing fans everywhere since the mid-1980s, including sponsoring Ford Hall of Fame drag racer Bob Glidden, a 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion, and NASCAR champions Bill Elliott and Dale Jarrett.

Its brands have visited Victory Lane and won championships in NASCAR, NHRA, SCORE, IMSA GT and GTO and SCCA Trans-Am throughout the years.