Posted on by NASCAR Official Release

Automaker becomes first two-time honoree in Las Vegas ceremony

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Carl Edwards powered his 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford Fusion to Victory Lane on Sunday, Ford Motor Company took home its historic first win with the Gen-6 car. Friday, the auto manufacturer captured yet another honor when it was named recipient of the 2012 NASCAR Driving Business Award.

NASCAR presented Ford the award at a ceremony in Las Vegas during the NASCAR Fuel for Business (NFFB) Council. The annual award is bestowed upon the Official NASCAR Partner that demonstrates extraordinary leadership and results through its participation in the NFFB Council. With its win, Ford becomes the first two-time recipient of the Driving Business Award.

The NFFB Council brings together an exclusive group of more than 55 Official NASCAR Partners to get more out of their sponsorships, specifically aligning partners four times a year to buy and sell products and services. This environment offers the unique opportunity for many Fortune 500 companies to bypass the time and layers of corporate coordination that may exist and construct customized deals to help address specific business needs.

Ford Motor Company, which has been competing in NASCAR since 1949, has been a proud member of the NFFB Council since 2007. The company brings key personnel from across its organization and matches them up with their counterparts at other NFFB companies during the Council’s signature Speed Meetings. Most notable is Ford’s effort to sell vehicles to other NFFB members through its Partner Recognition Program.

As a result of Ford’s participation in the Council in 2012, Ford forged a number of business-to-business alliances with Official NASCAR Partners, resulting in highly visible partnerships and a number of programs that were successful in “Driving Business.” Through an advanced customer database, the company directly attributes vehicle sales and lead generation to NASCAR Official Partner assets. According to Ford’s data:

Ÿ• In 2012, Ford sold more than 5,500 vehicles to NASCAR Official Partners through its “Partner Recognition Program,” with one of its largest vehicle sales deals being worth more than $5 million

• More than two-thirds of Council members participated in Ford’s “Partner Recognition Program”

• Co-marketing promotions have been run with 12 Council members including 3M and Sprint

“Winning the ‘Driving Business Award’ for the second time in the past three years is a direct reflection of Tim Duerr, our motorsports marketing manager’s dedication to the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council and the value it provides to our brand,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. “As a proud member of the Council, we are continuously developing new strategies to drive business and this platform has proven to be a particularly effective tool in generating positive return on investment.”

“Ford continues to be among the top blue chip brands that are building business within the NASCAR Fuel For Business Council,” said Norris Scott, NASCAR vice president of partnership marketing. “A model B-to-B partner in NASCAR, Ford continues to be a leader in developing strategic ways to generate business from its sponsorship.”

Since the NFFB’s 2004 inception, the Council has facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue and savings to its participating members.
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Posted on by Holly Cain

Currently second in points standings, Earnhardt is antsy for Sunday’s race at Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he was ready to start Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Thursday afternoon.

A full day of testing on Thursday only confirmed what’s been a candidly positive attitude from him about the performance and potential of the new Generation-6 car. And the performance and potential of himself.

His eagerness to take the next green flag is easy to understand when you consider NASCAR’s favorite son is a perfect two top-five finishes in two races this season.

And there’s no mistaking the swagger and smiles for someone never more committed to regaining championship form.

“I’m feeling good,’’ Earnhardt told reporters Friday. “I just hope we get a little time just to make sure everything is working right and get a couple laps Saturday just to make sure everything is cool.

“We’ll be ready to go.’’

"I think we’re going in a good direction. I like the new car."

— Dale Earnhardt Jr., on the Gen-6 car

Earnhardt has made good on a promise that his runner-up finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 — his third second place in NASCAR’s Super Bowl in the last four years — was a sign of good things to come.

He led 47 laps last week at Phoenix and his fifth place finish keeps him in a tie with reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski for second place in the standings — only eight slim points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

It’s Earnhardt’s best 1-2 start to a season since he won the 2004 Daytona 500 and answered it with a fifth place at Rockingham, N.C. the next week. He led the points going to Las Vegas that year and ranked among the top-three in the standings for 31 of the first 32 races.

Points leader, and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Johnson, along with Keselowski, are the only other drivers with two top fives to start the season.

Depending where you are in the early points standings, it’s either a strong statement out of the gates or nothing to get excited about yet.
“A one-one would be dominant, one-two is competitive,’’ said Johnson, who won the Daytona 500 and finished second at Phoenix.

Conversely, Tony Stewart, who is ranked 23rd , cautions it’s too early to be worried about the standings.

“There are so many things that can happen that I think it’s way too early to be thinking about that,’’ said Stewart, defending winner of Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400.

Earnhardt has a pair of runner-up finishes at Las Vegas and has led laps in seven races — including 70 laps last year en route to a 10th place finish. Since 2007, he’s only finished worse than 11th once (16th in 2010).

And unlike some of his competitors, Earnhardt doesn’t seem overly concerned with the transition to the Gen-6 car on the 1.5-mile tracks such as Las Vegas.

“We always want to get better and always want to strive to be better as a sport,’’ Earnhardt said. “I think we’re going in a good direction. I like the new car.

“Obviously, I’ve had a couple good runs with it so I’m excited about what we have going on and things are only going to get better from here as we learn more and more about tires.

Earnhardt turned more laps (70) than anyone else in his No. 88 Amp Energy Orange Chevrolet in Thursday’s test and was immediately pleased with the results.

“We had pretty good speed right off the trailer and just worked with a lot of things,’’ Earnhardt said. “We were ready to race in two hours (of practice) yesterday."




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Posted on by Holly Cain

Patrick shaken up at first after Subway Fresh Fit 500, but ready to race Sunday

LAS VEGAS — Danica Patrick showed up for her press conference Friday morning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway sounding a bit groggy and complaining of a slight headache.

But the aches and pains aren’t a sign of some lingering problem from the hard crash she had last week in the Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. She said they were the result of being hit in the head by a small rock while watching a World of Outlaws race at the dirt track race in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

In fact, Patrick had nothing but praise for NASCAR’s Generation-6 car, which got a good safety test last weekend when her No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet blew a tire sending it hard into the SAFER barrier walls at the 1-mile Phoenix oval.

“The cars are safer than they’ve ever been and the tracks,’’ said Patrick, who was cleared medically at the track soon after the accident.

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“I said after last weekend that I’m glad that I didn’t race in the era of the lack of SAFER barriers out there because I don’t know what it’s like without them. I know that the hits feel hard and my neck was sore after last weekend for sure, which it never has been before, after a wreck.’’

Patrick said she was confident in the medical care following her accident and declined having further tests done.

“I was able to say my name and where I was born,’’ Patrick said. “They take your blood pressure, they do like vitals and they ask how you’re feeling and I really felt fine. It’s understandable that my neck would be sore.

“They’re thorough, but it’s based on your information too. . … It’s up to you to be honest about it and it’s your decision. You can say, ‘I’m fine,’ and go along with your day. If you’re not, it’s your risk.’’

Patrick said her Stewart-Haas Racing team competition director Greg Zipadelli spoke with Goodyear about the incident. Both she and teammate Ryan Newman had a tire go down.

But Goodyear said Friday it doesn’t consider the incidents to be an issue with the tire.

“Heat, it’s as simple as that,’’ NASCAR Vice President for Competition Robin Pemberton said Thursday. “They have the ability to cool more. It’s a compromise. When you try to run the front of the car as closed off as much as you can for down force, it’s a compromise at every different race track that we run at.’’

“The target changes throughout the year because of the speeds.’’

For this weekend, Patrick had a previously arranged follow-up visit with the medical team on Friday morning to finish up paperwork and gave her a quick check-up before sending her on her way.

And when asked if she’d wage a bet on herself to score a top-25 in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 Sunday, she did not hesitate, “Yeah.’’

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Driver has had success at Vegas, but still searching for a win

Although Justin Allgaier has never won a NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he certainly has a winning combination at the 1.5-mile track in Sin City.

When the NASCAR Nationwide starting field hits the track for Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300 (4:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2), Allgaier is sure to be among the front-runners contending for the win.

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In four starts at the track, he has never finished outside the top eight or qualified outside the top 13. His best finish was a runner-up performance in 2011. He also boasts the highest average driver rating (106.3) among drivers with four starts at the track.

His success belies the fact that racing at Vegas can be a bit challenging for drivers, especially for those with the wrong race strategy.

"The track is pretty line-sensitive so you have to time your passes well, but it also usually comes down to fuel mileage," said Allgaier. "It’s going to be a great race and Las Vegas always puts on a good show, and I don’t think this weekend is going to be any different."

If it sounds like he’s excited about the upcoming race, he has a good reason for that. After the first two races of the season, Allgaier heads to Phoenix tied for the points lead with Sam Hornish Jr. Hornish holds the tiebreaker due to his second-place finish in the season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway.

With seventh-place and third-place finishes at Daytona and Phoenix International Raceway, respectively, Allgaier looks to continue his hot streak at Las Vegas and break away from Hornish and the rest of the Nationwide drivers in the standings.

Whether or not Allgaier wins on Saturday, it’s a safe bet he’ll be near the front of the pack, barring any accidents.

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