HAMPTON, GA, February 25, 2019 – Brad Keselowski, Team Penske’s all-time winningest driver in the No. 2, recorded the first race win in the new Ford Mustang. Ford Performance recorded their third consecutive win at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 and 678th all-time win in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) competition.
“Congratulations to Ford, Brad and Roger {Penske},” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “This was a big day for Roush Yates Engines with the new T550 engine package, on a mile and a half track for the first time this year, with the new iconic Ford Mustang body. To finish in victory lane is a testament to all the hard work by the entire Ford organization. We are proud to be part of this historic moment and partner with Ford Performance to deliver the first MENCS win with the new Ford Mustang.”
“Good enough to get the job done,” commented Keselowski in a victory lane interview after being asked about how he was feeling. “I think first off, I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my wife who’s standing in the back. I couldn’t be here today without them. So, thank you. And Doug Yates, we ran over a piece of debris with, I don’t know, probably 50 laps to go and overheated really bad, and I thought there was no way this engine would make it to the end, but Doug Yates and his team, they do a great job. I’m pretty sure it’s all used up, Doug, but it’s in Victory Lane, right?”
Keselowski, driving the new T550 engine package for the first time in the 2019 season, worked race traffic all day. The No. 2, methodically worked his way up to the front, taking the lead from Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano on lap 293, and led the last 33 laps of the race. The Keselowski managed to hold off a hard charging Martin Truex Jr. for the last three laps, taking the checkered flag .134 seconds ahead of the No. 19.
“This is a great day for Ford and it’s a testament to what can be achieved when everybody works together toward one common goal,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “So many people were involved in the design and development of Mustang – from team engineers to design center staff at Ford to our internal team at Ford Performance – we all worked together on this project over the last 18 months and to see it end with a victory in just the car’s second race is beyond satisfying.”
After sweeping qualifying with pole winner Aric Almirola, Rick Stenhouse Jr. and Clint Bowyer, the Ford Mustangs went onto lead a combined manufacturers’ race high of 178 laps out of the 325-lap race.
Joining winner Keselowski in the top-10 was Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kevin Harvick in P4, Clint Bowyer P5, Almirola P8, and Daniel Suárez rounding out the top-10.
Cole Custer with Stewart-Haas Racing started on the pole for the NASCAR Xfinity race on Saturday afternoon and finished P2. In addition, Austin Cindric with Team Penske finished P10, and Chase Briscoe also from Stewart-Haas Racing finished P15.
Ford Performance teams will ride this momentum out west to Las Vegas this weekend. Reference the full 2019 schedule on www.roushyates.com.
23 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 355 WINS – 322 POLES!
About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a cutting-edge engine development company, with 3 state-of-the-art facilities based in Mooresville, NC; which include Roush Yates Engines, Roush Yates Performance Engines Group, focused on road racing and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class manufacturing center and ISO 9001/AS9100 Rev D certified. The company’s core business includes designing, building, machining, and testing purpose-built race engines and components.
Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and twin-turbo EcoBoost Ford V6 race engine that powers the Ford GT super car in the IMSA and FIA series.
With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.
