FORD RACING DRIVERS SHARE THE SPOTLIGHT WITH A NEW TRACK AND NEW TIRE IN LAS VEGAS

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Fusion was the top-finishing Fusion driver in Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race and moves up to fifth in the standings. Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Fusion increased his lead in the NASCAR Busch Series standings with his fifth-place finish on Saturday. He was the top-finishing Ford now leads the series by 68 points. Las Vegas Motor Speedway was reconfigured and resurfaced during the off-season. The track, along with the new tire it required Goodyear to supply to teams, was the topic of conversation for many drivers over the weekend. DEARBORN, Mich., March 11 - A new track, a new tire, a historic moment and a series points lead – Vegas had it all.

Since the last time the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series visited Las Vegas Motor Speedway, things have changed. The track has been reconfigured and now features 20-degree banking in the turns. An increase in banking causes speeds to increase and to compensate for that, NASCAR required a smaller fuel cell for this weekend’s races. If that was not enough, the new track surface also required Goodyear to provide teams with harder tire combination. Both updates to the event were the topic of conversation among drivers in the garage.

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Fusion in the Nextel Cup Series competed in both series this weekend and had twice as much time on the new track and tire. “From what I saw, the racing wasn’t great just because the tires were real hard and you couldn’t run side-by-side,” he said. “When you got along side of somebody you were just scared to death you were going to wreck.” As far as the track, Kenseth thought they did a really nice job and the racing in Vegas’ future will be great.

Kenseth swept both NASCAR events in California two weeks ago, and was again the top-finishing Fusion driver in the Nextel Cup Series race this weekend. Kenseth finished fourth and moves up to fifth in the point standings. “We didn’t run good all day, really, but all the DeWalt guys did a great job,” said Kenseth. “Overall, it ended up being a great day, but it was really a struggle.”

Making a historic Las Vegas memory he will never forget is Jon Wood, who made his Nextel Cup Series debut in his family’s famed No. 21 Ford. “I wish I could do it again,” said Jon Wood when asked about his first Cup race. “To be honest with you, Cup racing is a lot more giving than taking. And I’m going to say that I’m fortunate that I spent the majority of my time in the Busch Series because I have learned to take a lot and not give a lot, and it’s easier to give than take.” Jon Wood is a third-generation member of the famed Wood Brothers Racing family and races for the team his father now co-owns.

According to his father and team co-owner, Eddie Wood, “Probably for the first time ever, he did what he was told to do,” he said. “We told him to just take it easy and to race the track and not to race people and to get some points. We need some points because we haven’t finished the first two races, and he did exactly what we told him to do.”

The Busch Series returned to the oval racing after hitting the road in Mexico last week. Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 60 Fusion increased his lead in the series’ standings to 68 points by finishing in sixth place. “It’s awesome. It was a great day,” said Edwards. “I’m just really happy about the way we kept fighting all day, that was pretty cool. That’s a championship day for us.”

Busch Series rookie, Marcos Ambrose continues to steadily race his way up through the standings. After finishing 10 th this weekend as the top-finishing rookie, the driver of the No. 59 Fusion is excited about his car and the fact that he has finished every lap of racing this season. “That’s awesome,” said Ambrose. “We’re finishing races, and that’s all we wanted to do was finish off the first five races. We’ve got ourselves two top-10s and we’re in the top 10 in points. I can’t believe it.”

All three of NASCAR’s premier series keep the racing action going as they take on Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend.