Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers, Ford Racing, Kentucky Speedway Extend Partnerships Through 2010

Wednesday June 27, 2007

 

SPARTA, KY. – The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers, Ford Racing and Kentucky Speedway announce the three-year extension of entitlement partnerships associated with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) "Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers" event at the 66,089-seat venue.

Ford Racing will extend its title sponsorship of the race and The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers will continue as the event-presenting sponsor through 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed. Both partners have supported the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visit to Kentucky Speedway since 2003.

"Since forming our alliance in 1998, while using Ford vehicles to construct the facility, our relationship with Ford Motor Company and the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealer Group has grown each year and is truly one of our best. By committing to this contract extension through 2010, it really reflects the benefits that both they and we receive from the partnership. We continue to be very proud to call Kentucky Speedway a Ford track," Kentucky Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Mark F. Cassis said.

The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers also continue to supply official vehicles to Kentucky Speedway.

"Many of our competitors like to say their truck is built in America. We feel Ford trucks built America. From the very beginning at Kentucky Speedway, Ford trucks were used on site during the construction of this top-notch racing venue. We have been very proud to have been the Official Car and Truck of Kentucky Speedway since the track opened, and we look forward to another three-year extension of our partnership," Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers Chairman Robert Nolan said.

Ford Racing, a division of Ford Motor Co., also is the title sponsor of the season-ending "Ford Championship Weekend" at Homestead-Miami Speedway where NASCAR officially crowns its NEXTEL Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series champions.

"We are pleased to extend our sponsorship of the ‘Built Ford Tough 225' truck race at Kentucky Speedway," said Bill Wynne, Ford Racing’s North American Motorsports Marketing Manager. "The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers have been longtime supporters of the track and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Through this sponsorship extension, they help solidify Ford Motor Company's commitment to using the excitement of racing as a marketing tool."

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will join the ARCA RE/MAX Series at Kentucky Speedway for the fourth of five 2007 event weekends July 13-14. Speedway gates open at 4:30 p.m., Friday with ARCA RE/MAX "Channel 5-150" qualifying. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series final practice will follow at 6:30 p.m., and the ARCA RE/MAX Series returns to the track for its 15th all-time appearance at the track at 8:00 p.m.

The weekend continues July 14 when speedway gates open at 3:00 p.m. The first 20,000 fans entering the gates will receive a race-edition deck of playing cards compliments of U.S. Playing Card. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series "Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers" qualifying begins at 4:00 p.m., 2006 American Idol champion Taylor Hicks will be in concert on the Turn 1 concourse at 6:30 p.m., and the "Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers" will take the green flag at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets for both events are available and can be reserved online at http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com, by phone at 888-652-RACE (7223), through Tickets.com outlets such as Meijer stores and at the speedway ticket offices located at 400 Buttermilk Pike., Suite 100, in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., or the Sparta, Ky., Fan Center located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N.

Below are excerpts from Tuesday's press conference held at Kentucky Speedway

MARK CASSIS, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Kentucky Speedway - "I want to welcome everybody today. It's beautiful outside and it's really warming up, plus we have cars on the race track, which is always fun. It is a special day. Not only are we here because of the Built Ford Tough 225 and the WLW TV5 150 on Friday, this weekend is so special also because we're here to announce today that Ford Motor Company and the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers group has re-upped again. We are so proud of this relationship for another three years. This will now take us to 2010, with both the Ford Motor Company and the Greater Cincinnati Ford group. And like I said before, we are very proud of our relationship with Ford. We're proud to be a Ford track. We used Ford vehicles back in 1998; we've talked about this a lot over the years, to build this facility. We've told this story before, but back in 1998, when we went to Robert Nolan and the Greater Cincinnati Ford group and Frank Bodwell and we made our pitch, we just hit a home run from both sides from the very beginning. And not only did we form just a great business alliance, but also we formed great friendships that have been together for a long time. And we're proud of that and we thank you guys and we appreciate it again."

TIM DUERR, Business Development Manager, Ford Racing Technology - "Thank you, Mark. And I personally want to congratulate the Kentucky Speedway for eight successful years of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racing and also the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers for their involvement from the start. And, most importantly, the title sponsorship for the last four years. I had the pleasure of being here, about a month or so ago, when we had the dealer principals in, and we discussed the business case for this very proposal and the sponsorship with the Speedway. And we debated it based on the economies and all, and I was very, very pleased to see the dealers elect to sign a three-year agreement to be a part of this very valuable asset here in this community and become the title sponsor again through 2010. A lot of people ask why does a company like Ford or an automobile manufacturer race. People think it's because it's the prestige, the publicity, the things that go along with it. But actually it's a lot more than that. It has to do with the technical development of these vehicles and the marketing of these vehicles. But to Ford, it even goes beyond that. We race because it just makes good business sense. Racing is not something that just is a passion, it's also a foundation of what we do at Ford Motor Company. We truly think that Henry Ford would be proud of us today. Our heritage at Ford Motor Company actually started because of racing in 1901, in the great race that Henry Ford won. Because of his success in that race, his first and only race, by the way, he was able to insure capital from his banking sources and started the Ford Motor Company two years later. And beyond that passion, the Ford truck is in a similar situation. Our Ford F-Series has been the number-one selling pick-up truck in America 30 years running. A streak like that doesn't happen by accident. It comes from a deep understanding in knowing our truck customer. We strive in knowing the needs of our customers with every F-Series that we build. That's what Built Ford Tough stands for; it's not just an advertising slogan, but rather a promise to our truck buyers to be the toughest and strongest capable trucks, not only on the road, but in the field today.

"I want to thank everybody at the Kentucky Speedway. I want to thank the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers for this opportunity. Most importantly, I want David Starr for coming to be with us here today. He traveled great distances and had several flight cancellations. Unfortunately, Erik Darnell wasn't as fortunate in making a plane connection on a cancelled flight and he wasn't able to be with us here today. But, David, thank you so much. I know you are having a busy week getting ready for Memphis this weekend. We hope to see you in Victory Lane in Memphis and also back here on July 14th for the Built Ford Tough 225 sponsored by your Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers. Thanks."

ROBERT NOLAN, President, Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers - "Mark already mentioned one of the things that I always like to say is that when it came to the Kentucky Speedway. What Mark didn't tell you was that when he came to see us all he really had was a hole in the ground that they said they were going to make a track out of and they needed vehicles, namely Ford trucks, to help make a big hole in the ground, which they did. I think it was the largest earth-moving project in Kentucky's history, if I recall. So, I always like to tell people that this track was built with Ford trucks. The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers, which is the 27 Ford dealers in and around greater Cincinnati, were the original automotive sponsor here. When Tim and his team, Ford Racing, came and sponsored the race for us, they really completed the package for us. We were already here for every race, now we actually have the opportunity to be a sponsor of one of the biggest events they have here, and we've combined our two teams. With the help of the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers, Ford Racing and F-100 Club, where we have the parade lap, it's really made the relationship work for us. On top of that, what Tim likes to talk about is why does Ford race. We've learned over the years that the crowd that comes to the truck race is our customer. Traditionally, this time of year we have a sale that for every F-150 that you buy from our dealers, you get two t-shirts, two hats, two tickets and race package, too. It means that you get down to the Garage B area, where the customers get an opportunity to meet and greet drivers, get their signature, ask them questions and we feed them. These customers come to the race, three, four, five hours before the race to come to our event. They wear their hats, they wear their t-shirts and we go around and have our prize patrol and you are wearing your hat and t-shirt, you get an opportunity to win things like tickets to the next race. Traditionally, over 90 percent of the people [attending] are the people who bought the truck. So, they don't give them to their brother-in-law or their neighbor, they come to our race. To me, that's what it is all about. We found that it's the right audience for Ford and the Ford dealers and by tying it all together, we've done something special here."

DAVID STARR - No. 10 International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150 - "It is easy to drive a Ford F-150 truck. We started yesterday at Dallas-Fort Worth at 4:00 p.m., and ended up getting here at 1:45 this morning. But, I'm glad to be here. It's always fun to come to the Kentucky Speedway. One thing that comes to mind when I pulled into the gate, I got excited; I wasn't even in the gate and heard the race cars. I thought, ‘Cool, they didn't tell me I get to drive someone around in a race car.' This place is incredible. When they built the speedway, they built it for the fans. I don't think there's a bad seat in the house. No matter where you sit, you can see all the way around the speedway. I like the way they built the garages; it gives access. They built this place for the fans; it's incredible. Anytime the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races here at Kentucky Speedway, it's always cool to see how involved the fans get with our series and how the race track welcomes them into our series. They get up close and personal with us. It's neat. I think the people that build speedways throughout our country, they look at the Kentucky Speedway and see the way to build a speedway. They've done a tremendous job here.

"To be involved with Ford is an honor. Their commitment, dedication, passion and heart that they have for the sport of auto racing is the same commitment and passion they have for the cars they build for the highway. We were in Detroit, Michigan, a couple of weeks ago - actually it was the same day they had the Busch race here; we raced at the Michigan International Speedway. We had a great race that day, me and my teammate Rick Crawford did. That night, we were still at the speedway in Michigan and I was visiting with a couple of people and they said, ‘Hey, the race is on from Kentucky.' And I said, ‘Let me tune in real quick before I head back to the hotel,' and you start watching it and you can't stop watching it. So, I stayed here the whole time at Michigan International Speedway and the race was incredible and I remember there was, I can't remember his name, the kid that was driving for Joe Gibbs racing, he's from Houston, Texas. I thought he was going to win the race. I was impressed. It was cool to see how the Robert Yates car [No. 90, Stephen Leicht], and I'm thinking the whole time, ‘I can't wait to get there in my truck because that outside groove was working good.' But the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, we always put on a heck of a show. The way the race track is laid out - it is so fast and so smooth. One thing about the truck series is that it's hard, with tough trucks and tough competitors. We put on one heck of a show. We beat, bang and trade a lot of paint - that's what the trucks are built for. We're racing hard and the action is great for the race fans. We always put on a good show here at Kentucky.

"You asked me about our Circle Bar Racing team and my teammate Rick Crawford. It's the first time in my career that I've ever had a teammate. To have a teammate like Rick Crawford has been really cool to work with somebody. He's always been a good friend and tough competitor. If you're going to win races, and all the races that I've won I've had to race real hard with Rick. He's always been so loyal to the Ford brand; it's been incredible. To have Tom Mitchell with Circle Bar Racing and Rick Crawford welcome me into their racing team, my racing team now, was a big honor. It's neat to be part of Ford to be part of their commitment; to see the passion they have is the same commitment and passion that I have for what I do. And to be part of a manufacturer that has the same commitment and passion for auto racing, it's neat and is a great fit for Circle Bar Racing.

"[The] one neat thing about the Craftsman Truck Series is that depth of talent in our series. You look at the top five in our series - Mike Skinner, used to be teammate with Dale Earnhardt at Richard Childress Racing forever; Johnny Benson, former Cup driver; Todd Bodine, former Cup driver; the list goes on and on and on, and that's awesome. Every chance that I get to get into my Ford F-150 on race day I get the opportunity to measure up my talent against these guys that I grew up watching race. It's good because this series is good for former Nextel Cup drivers that don't like the grueling schedule, a 36-race schedule. I don't know if you want to call it a retirement series, but it's more of a relaxing series for these guys. I remember Skinner called me one day after hearing me on an interview and he called me and left me not a very good message. He said, ‘Starr, they asked you about wanting to see more races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.' We had 25 races and I'm a race-car driver, I want to race every week. Skinner called me and said, ‘We love 25 races. We don't want a 36-race schedule,' but that's one thing neat about the truck series. You've got a depth of talent, you've got Erik Darnell, he's going to be a former star in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. You've got the young guns coming up, you've got the guys that have been stars in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series that kind of want to relax a little bit more in their older years, I guess. This creates a great series. You've got past champions, former Nextel Cup stars, future stars. There's a big mix of talent in the Craftsman Truck Series and that's what makes it competitive and so challenging."

This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Kim DeHaven.

 

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