ERIC DE DONCKER AND FRANK KIMMEL EACH CAPTURE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eric de Doncker won both Race 1 and 2 in the GT4 European Cup with his No. 98 Mustang FR500C at Magny-Cours, France. His victory in the first race clinched the inaugural GT4 European Cup title for Mustang.
Frank Kimmel, driver of the No. 46 Fusion, finished fifth in the ARCA RE/MAX series race in Toledo, Ohio. Kimmel clinched his ninth series championship, with all of his titles coming in the past 10 seasons.
Carl Edwards was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Nextel Cup race in Charlotte, N.C., finishing fifth in his No. 99 Fusion. Edwards moves up one spot to fifth in the standings, 240 points behind leader Jeff Gordon.
David Ragan was the top Ford driver in the NASCAR Busch Series race in Charlotte, N.C., finishing sixth in his No. 6 Fusion. Ragan remains fifth in the standings.
Ford Racing fans celepated two championships on two continents over the weekend when Eric de Doncker clinched the GT4 European Cup title in Magny-Cours, France and Frank Kimmel captured his ninth championship in the ARCA RE/MAX Series season finale in Toledo, Ohio.
De Doncker had a terrific weekend, winning both GT4 races in his No. 98 Mustang FR500C and clinching the title in the inaugural season of the GT4 European Cup.
“I am really very, very happy,” De Doncker said after winning his second race of the weekend. “It’s been the perfect weekend. I had some problems at Nogaro [France], which left me rather cross, so I was determined to win both races here.
“The report of this season can only be positive. From ten races, I’ve managed ten finishes and eight podiums; I’ve created a new team, Motorsport 98, and we’ve had a great season, with no mechanical failures. The mechanics have done a great job. The aim was to win the title, which we’ve managed after this perfect weekend. My hopes now are that there will be more competitors and some more great fights on track next season.”
Back on North American soil, Frank Kimmel captured his ninth ARCA RE/MAX Series championship. It was the eight consecutive title for Kimmel, who finished fifth in the season finale in Toledo, Ohio.
“It's just real cool and very rewarding,” said Kimmel. “To be able to win this championship despite all of the competitive teams in ARCA this year. Michael [McDowell] and Eddie Sharp Racing put a lot of pressure on us and they made us want to run well. We struggled this year with all kinds of adversity. We didn't have a sponsor and despite the problems we had the team stuck together and it was good to be able to win a ninth championship.”
In the NASCAR Nextel Cup series race in Charlotte, N.C., Carl Edwards was able to grab a top-five finish in his No. 99 Fusion and move up one spot to fifth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Edwards trails Chase leader Jeff Gordon by 240 points.
“That’s great for us,” said Edwards. “We did not have a fifth-place car, so we’re very fortunate to be fifth. That’s good for us. We were barely a top-15 car, so I’ve just got to thank my crew -- everybody on this Office Depot team. That was a long one there at the end. All sorts of things are happening and we ended up fifth. It’s a great points run for us and we really salvaged something today. We got very lucky. I definitely had a good time tonight at the end.”
Ricky Rudd had a successful return to the No. 88 Fusion, after missing each of the last five races with a shoulder injury. Rudd appeared to be headed for a top-10 finish when his gas tank sputtered on the final restart, dropping him a few spots before finishing 11th.
In the NASCAR Busch Series race in Charlotte, N.C., Edwards had an opportunity to wrap up the Busch Series championship on Friday night, but an accident forced him out of the race early. Edwards still holds a 638-point lead over second place driver David Reutimann and is one of seven Ford drivers holding a top-10 spot in the Busch Series standings.
David Ragan and Robby Gordon were the top two Ford drivers in the race, finishing sixth and seventh respectively.
“It was a good run for the Verizon Wireless Ford,” said Gordon. “I thought we were gonna be the best Ford there for a while and David [Ragan] got me there with two laps to go when I got in the fence. But it was a good run for us. The engine ran good and we didn’t really have any issues besides hitting the wall a couple of times. I lost a lap when I hit the wall and finally got ourselves in position to get the lucky dog and finished seventh. I’m happy. It was a good day.”
Next weekend the NASCAR Nextel Cup and NASCAR Craftsmen Truck Series competitors will head to Martinsville, Va. with only five races remaining in each of the series.
