Behind the Wheel
· 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium will serve as official pace car for NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend in Homestead, Fla., Nov. 16-18, 2012.
· Multi-platinum selling American rock star Kid Rock will serve as celebrity pace car driver and will be performing a live set prior to the Ford EcoBoost 400 Sunday, Nov. 18.
· The 2013 Ford Fusion pace car for the Ford EcoBoost 400 will be given away to one lucky fan as part of the Sprint “Win a Fusion Pace Car” Sweepstakes.
· The 2013 Ford Fusion pace car was put through its paces by Ford NASCAR drivers, including current championship points leader Greg Biffle, at the Dearborn test track in August.
The all-new 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium, which will serve as official pace car of Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, will not only be driven off the race track and into the driveway of one lucky fan thanks to a combined effort between Ford and Sprint, but will now be driven at the track by celebrity pace driver Kid Rock.
The multi-platinum selling American rock star will be performing a live set prior to Sunday’s (Nov. 18) Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship race which caps Ford Championship weekend.
The 2013 Fusion production car being used as a pace vehicle – revealed this summer at Bristol Motor Speedway in advance of the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway – hits dealer showrooms this fall, while the new 2013 NASCAR Fusion will take to the track beginning next year.
“In NASCAR, we are all about business-to-business, and business-to-consumer integration,” said Tim Duerr, Ford Racing motorsport marketing manager. “Sprint is one of our biggest partners at Ford Motor Company as both a business partner and a partner within the sport.
“We are very excited about the all-new 2013 production Fusion and the new 2013 Fusion race car that will compete next year,” Duerr continued. “A lucky consumer race fan is going to be able to win this car – which will have some history to it as well – and that is very exciting.”
The Fusion pace car that will take the green flag at Homestead was put through a shakedown run earlier in August at Ford’s Dearborn test track by Ford’s NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, including current points leader Greg Biffle.
It features a special paint scheme reminiscent of the Ford EcoBoost paint scheme featured during the reveal of the 2013 NASCAR Fusion, and used by many of Ford’s top race cars around the world during the month of August.
“I love the look of this car. It looks fast just sitting there,” said Biffle. “The lucky fan that wins this official pace car will have a very special piece. I put it through its paces and it did a darn good job. It is a fun car to drive and they are going to have something special.”
The all-new Fusion, signed by every Ford Racing driver, features a 240-horsepower engine, 2.0 liter EcoBoost Gasoline Turbocharged Direct Injection, six-speed transmission with paddle shifting, remote start, 18-inch alloy wheels and a rear spoiler.
NASCAR fans have from through Sunday, Nov. 18 to enter The Sprint “Win a Fusion Pace Car” Sweepstakes – powered by Ford, and there are a number of different ways to register. They can log on to Sprint.com/Speed via their smartphones or computer, but can also stop by the Sprint Experience, Sprint’s mobile-marketing display located in the midway at every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
For those wanting to get an up-close and personal look at the grand prize, it will be on display at the Sprint Experience for six upcoming race weekends, including Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, Kansas Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The winner also receives an all-expenses paid trip for two to Las Vegas, where they will be presented their 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium at “NASCAR After the Lap”, a popular fan event that is part of NASCAR Champion’s Week.
