After over two years of development and extensive work by the Ford design center and Ford aerodynamic experts, the 2013 NASCAR Fusion is set to hit the racetrack this weekend for the 55th annual Daytona 500.
The new "Gen 6" race cars continue the trend of the past three years of NASCAR introducing more consumer relevance to the sport according to the company press release. Other introductions include fuel injection, alternative fuels, and now manufacturer identity.
"This is a day so many of us at Ford and Ford fans have been waiting for," said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing in the company press release. "When we first unveiled the 2013 NASCAR Fusion in Charlotte in January 2012, we said we wanted to help return the 'stock car back to NASCAR.' Without question, with this car, we have."
The idea for the 2013 NASCAR Fusion began in 2011 when a number of manufacturers met and decided to propose the idea to NASCAR, and they loved it immediately. The process started at the Ford design center in Deaborn, where a number of designers worked together to construct the vehicle from scratch. After the initial clay sculpting of the race car, the designers went to work and successfully built the first Ford NASCAR race car since the late 1960s.
The first full-size clay model was shown in June 2011 to Ford and NASCAR drivers, and was reportedly met with "an enthusiastic reception" according to the company press release.
The vehicle was produced under the direction of Ford Racing Operations Manager Andy Slankard and NSASCAR Cup Program Manager Pat DiMarco.
"We are a car company. This is car racing," said Allison. "This was a great opportunity to work with NASCAR on creating cars that people see on the racetrack that really look like what they have at home. The opportunity to bring back brand identity to these cars is something the fans have asked for, something NASCAR led, and something we as a manufacturer enabled.
In January 2012, the world debut of the 2013 Ford Fusion took place at the North American International Auto Show, in Detroit. Two weeks later, the company stunned the automotive world by showcasing and testing the first 2013 NASCAR Fusion at Charlotte Motor Speedway according to Ford.
One year to the day after the first on-track test of the new racecar, 10 NASCAR Fusions zoomed through the streets of Charlotte to formally declare Ford's "Gen 6" is ready for Daytona.
"We know nearly 40 percent of new car intenders are race fans, and of those, almost 84 percent follow NASCAR," said Allison. "Racing helps drive our business. We know Ford race fans consider, shop and buy more Fords than the general public. So bringing back this kind of relevancy to NASCAR is the X factor.
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