FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: INDIANAPOLIS NOTES
The final race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular season will take place for the first time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which also hosts the NASCAR XFINITY event this weekend. Ford is coming off a weekend sweep at Darlington Raceway after Brad Keselowski drove Team Penske to victory in both series. Here’s a look at how things stack up among Ford’s Playoff contenders and hopefuls going into this weekend’s action.
FORD CONTINUES WINNING WAYS
With Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski winning each of the last two races at Bristol Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, Ford has regained the lead among manufacturers for most Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories this season with 12. Kevin Harvick leads the way with seven while Clint Bowyer has two. Joey Logano joins Busch and Keselowski with one victory each.
FORD LEADS PLAYOFF PUSH
Seven Ford drivers have clinched spots in the Monster Energy NASCAR Playoffs after Aric Almirola secured his spot Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, which is the most among manufacturers. Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch and Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing, along with Team Penske’s three drivers – Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney – will all compete for the championship. There’s still a possibility that Ford could have half of the 16-driver field if someone outside the current cutoff wins on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
FORD IN THE MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES AT IMS
· Ford has 3 all-time series wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· Dale Jarrett owns two of those wins while Ricky Rudd has the other.
· Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard also have MENCS wins at IMS.
FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT IMS
· Ford is looking for its first series win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
· Brad Keselowski won in 2012 after the race moved from Lucas Oil Raceway.
· Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards posted wins at Lucas Oil Raceway in 2002 and 2009, respectively.
THREE JEWELS FOR DJ
The first time Ford found victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race was in 1996 when Dale Jarrett won the first of his two Brickyard 400 championships. What made the race most memorable from a Ford perspective is that it ended up being a battle between Jarrett and his Robert Yates Racing teammate, Ernie Irvan. The two ended up breaking away from the field as Irvan found himself in the lead after passing Jarrett on lap 139, but when he pushed up the track going into turn two with only seven laps to go, Jarrett was there to take advantage and make the pass. Jarrett held on to eventually win as the race ended under caution. That completed a trifecta of sorts for Jarrett, who also won the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 earlier that season, and capped a memorable day for Ford with seven finishers in the Top 10 and 11 in the Top 14.
RUDD’S BIG WIN
Ricky Rudd stretched his fuel to the limit in winning the 1997 Brickyard 400 as he went the final 46 laps without stopping. That decision, along with a pair of timely cautions, enabled him to gain the lead and hold it until the checkered flag. Rudd inherited the lead on lap 147 after the yellow flag came out for debris after Robby Gordon hit the wall. While leader Dale Jarrett and fellow contender Jeff Gordon were forced to pit for fuel under the caution, Rudd stayed out. Another caution with seven laps remaining allowed Rudd to save the necessary fuel to make it the rest of the way. In a single-file restart with three laps to go, Rudd led Bobby Labonte, Johnny Benson, Mark Martin, Jarrett and Gordon. Labonte was never able to get closer than a couple of car lengths as Rudd posted his second win of the season and biggest triumph of his career.
TWO FOR JARRETT
The last time Ford ended up in victory lane at the Brickyard was when Jarrett won in 1999 for the second time in four years, overcoming disappointment from the previous year when he had a dominant Ford Taurus but ran out of gas midway through the race. Jarrett, who qualified fourth, was in a class by himself as he led 81 of the final 82 laps to win his fourth race of the season. The crucial part of the race came under caution when Jarrett came down pit road on lap 143 and opted for two tires. He was able to clear Bobby Labonte on the ensuing restart and was not threatened the rest of the way as he joined Jeff Gordon as the only two-time winners of the event.
A MAST-ERFUL START
Another memorable Brickyard highlight came in the inaugural weekend in 1994 when Rick Mast won the pole while driving the No. 1 Ford of car owner Richard Jackson. Mast went on to lead the first lap at the speedway in official NASCAR competition, but ended up finishing one lap down in 22nd place. The pole was one of four Mast earned during his 15-year Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career.
FORD WINNERS AT THE BRICKYARD
1996 – Dale Jarrett
1997 – Ricky Rudd
1999 – Dale Jarrett
