FUMES

January 25, 2012

Ford takes the wraps off of its new NASCAR Fusion for 2013.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

(Posted 1/24, 1:45 p.m.) Detroit. The stunning new Ford Fusion was the runaway production car hit at the Detroit Auto Show, and as I said, "it signaled more than a new era for the normally moribund mid-sized segment on the streets and byways of America. It also signaled what's coming in NASCAR for 2013." Today, Ford finished that thought when it took the wraps off of the competition version of its new Fusion during the annual Charlotte Motor Speedway NASCAR Media Tour. And as promised, it delivers more of the kind of brand recognition that Ford and the other participating manufacturers in NASCAR have been clamoring for, and then some.

Approaching the sleek and sophisticated presence of the street version, Ford's new NASCAR Sprint Cup Fusion actually looks like a proper racing machine and is a much needed breath of fresh air for enthusiasts who have been so disappointed and uninterested in NASCAR's dreaded "Car of Tomorrow," the disastrous experiment that almost crippled fan interest in NASCAR permanently.

Ford Design Center staff, led by Garen Nicoghosian, and Ford aerodynamicist Bernie Marcus, spent the past year doing the early design development, freeing up the Ford race teams to concentrate on weekly NASCAR competition.

”We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return ‘stock car’ to NASCAR.” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing.  “I think fans, when they see the car, are just going to smile and cheer. It is going to reengage them with the sport and make the sport better because there is just something natural about seeing race cars that look like cars in their driveways.”

In short, the new 2013 Fusion in NASCAR trim is what a racing "stock" car should look like, and it's long overdue.

Does it fix what ails NASCAR overnight? No, of course not. Not even close, in fact. But if the new cars can remotely look like their street counterparts again instead of cobbled together third-rate modified racers, at least it's a start and perhaps some of NASCAR's most loyal fans will return.

And will the competing manufacturers - Chevrolet, Chrysler, Toyota and most likely another import manufacturer to be named later - have cars designed to take advantage of NASCAR's new "Big Picture" thinking as well? Yes, but we'll have to wait and see if they're as aggressively striking as the new NASCAR Fusion.

The net-net of this discussion is that at least the new cars should be presentable and interesting to watch. And that has been a long time coming.

The only problem? We have to wait one full calendar year before the new cars show up at Daytona.

(Photos courtesy of Ford Racing)

 

Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Daytona, Florida, 1966. The great Dan Gurney sits in the cockpit of his Shelby American-entered No. 97 Ford GT MkII during practice for that year's Daytona 24 Hour Race at Daytona International Speedway. He teamed with Jerry Grant to finish second, eight laps behind the winning No. 98 Ford GT MkII Shelby American team car driven by Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby. Gurney famously won the 1962 Daytona Continental 3-Hour race on his starter motor, waiting up against the wall for the timed finish at the start/finish line in his No. 96 Lotus 19B-Climax entered by Frank Arciero. Watch a great video of that event here. This year's Daytona 24 Hour race starts at 3:30 p.m. EST this coming Saturday.

Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD

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