NASCAR-CUP: 2013 Ford Fusion unveiled during Charlotte media tour
Joe Jennings, NASCAR correspondent
Charlotte, NC – Ford grabbed the headlines during the second day of the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by the Charlotte Motor Speedway when it unveiled its 2013 Fusion, the newly designed car that will make its race debut in the Daytona 500 a year from now. The unveiling took place in the Nationwide Series garage at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The objective of the effort was to bring identity back into the stock car picture, to offset concerns that today’s cars all look the same.
We are a car company and it is good for our car business, as 84 per cent of our buyers are NASCAR fans.
Working with NASCAR and the other manufacturers competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the involved parties agreed to certain basics and thereafter they were free to design a car that would appeal to their respective followers.
With today’s rollout, Ford became the first manufacturer to introduce its finished product. It is expected to be tested in the second quarter of 2012 and be ready for racing 13 months from now. The car has a sleek design and shows aggressive engineering concepts, a windswept windshield and a shorter deck lid. The car’s grill and front end were also eye-catching.
Said Jamie Allison, racing director, Ford Racing, “This is a special day for Ford, NASCAR and its fans. We are a blessed company and today the sun is shining brighter on these cars.” He went on to say that racing is in Ford’s DNA. “We are a car company and it is good for our car business, as 84 per cent of our buyers are NASCAR fans.” Ford gained a head start on the development when it created the Ford Mustang for the Nationwide Series two years ago.
According to Ford officials, tens of thousands of hours went into the development of the car and thousands more hours went into the build-out of the stock car.
The unveiling ceremony had plenty of glitz and resembled the splash and pageantry that takes place when a new car is introduced to the world. Ford had a number of its officials and drivers along with NASCAR officials and others.
NASCAR president Mike Helton said, “The NASCAR nation is made up of car enthusiasts and today marks a significant landmark, showing what the 2013 stock cars will look like. We are excited about that and it didn’t just happen overnight. It started in the Nationwide Series, and the synergy between the OEMs involved in our sport and our NASCAR officials and the synergy started to build. We see today the first exhibit of the results of that energy as we look to 2013. We are thankful and excited about what we think will bring back the relevancy of NASCAR on the race track to what the fans have in their garages.”
After detailed presentations regarding Ford’s race history and the development of the Ford Fusion, the music fired up and the spotlight focused on the new car which rolled to center stage steered by Greg Biffle. Biffle was joined by fellow Ford drivers (Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., David Gilliland, Aric Almirola and Marcus Ambrose, owners Jack Roush, Richard Petty and the Wood brothers. In turn, they were joined by Ford’s development staff.
Once the official unveiling occurred, an extended photo opportunity took place followed by a lengthy interview session with the involved parties.
Thereafter, Ford officials beckoned the media and others to see the cars in action. Biffle and Stenhouse piloted the new cars, running several laps side-by-side before returning to the pits for additional photos and interview opportunities.
Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota are working on their models and they expect to rollout their new cars in the near future.
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