Minneapolis — It amounted to, the Sparkster thinks, the perfect test drive. Really, if you’re goin’ to test drive a brand-new 2010 Ford Fusion, goin’ with a professional race-car driver is probably the best way to go. And, of course, testin’ it in a variety of ways is probably a pretty good idea, too. You know, on the street and on a race track.

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That’s exactly what Chuck Fountain did earlier this week.

It is, Ol’ Sparky surmises, the near equivalent of selectin’ a book from the library with the help of Frank Deford, or pickin’ out a new guitar with the assistance of Carlos Santana.

Professionals. Can’t beat ’em. They’re good. They’re so good they should paid or somethin’. You know, go pro.

Anyway, as part of Ford Racing’s We Race. You Win. national sweepstakes, Fountain was visited at his home in suburban Minneapolis by Matt Kenseth, and the two spent Tuesday afternoon drivin’ around town. Now, Ol’ Steady Matty won the Daytona 500 this year and the series championship in 2003, so, obviously, he knows a little somethin’ about quality cars—and, especially, how to drive ’em.

And, on that day, Matt and Chuck didn’t even need any snow tires. The weather could not have been better: 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Not a one. They drove in and around Chuck’s hometown in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and then stopped off at a nearby quarter-mile track to put a 2010 Ford Fusion Sport through its paces. They even had time to have lunch with the mayor.

And throughout the day, an appreciative Chuck—and his wife, Ruthie—soaked it all in. The Sparkster had caught up with Matt and Chuck at the race track (hey, Ol’ Sparky never needs much of an excuse to visit a race track), and when all was said and done, Chuck told Spark, “It’s been an experience I’ll never forget. I feel very fortunate. Getting that first-hand experience really is what it’s all about. You can read an article about the Fusion in a magazine or on the Internet, but having that experience and hearing it from the experts, that’s really interesting.”

Good people, Chuck and Ruthie.

The We Race. You Win. sweepstakes is a pretty cool deal and is continuing’ throughout the season. Again, each time a Ford driver wins a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points event in 2009, one lucky fan and a guest will win an all-expenses paid trip to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway from November 20th to the 22nd. During the race weekend, one of those fans will win the grand prize of a 2010 Ford Fusion. Fans can register online, and, in addition to the grand prize, will also be eligible for one of 10 random monthly drawings of Ford Racing themed prizes, including autographed helmets, apparel packs and more.

So, additionally, Chuck has won one of those trips to Ford Championship Weekend, as of right now, he has a 50-50 chance of winnin’ the grand prize. Headin’ into this weekend’s race at Phoenix, where Kenseth won in 2002, Ford racers have won twice—both by Ol’ Steady Matty.

And by the way he was runnin’ that Fusion Sport at Go RaceWay Park in Shakopee on Tuesday, one would’ve thought he was lookin’ to win there, too. He told Ol’ Sparky that he thinks he ran at the track back in the ’90s, but he wasn’t quite sure. Knowin’ Kenseth, the Sparkster will suggest that when he visits a race track, he’s lookin’ less at its characteristics and more at its finish line. And those are all pretty similar. He sure ran, though, like he had been there before.

One of Kenseth’s teammates, Greg Biffle, also is havin’ a test drive, of sorts, this week, only instead of drivin’ around Minneapolis suburbs, The Biff was tearin’ it up in the Nevada desert in a Ford F-150 Raptor R in the Best in the Desert Terrible’s 250 at Primm. The Biff sure loves his trucks, and the Sparkster can’t wait to talk to him about the new Raptor.

The NHRA Funny Cars are back at it this weekend in the Southern Nationals in Atlanta, site of Ashley Force Hood’s first career victory. She added her second win this season, the event after Bob Tasca III earned his first career win.

The Ford Mustang Challenge Series will stage rounds 3 and 4 this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. This is a very significant weekend for Mustang; Friday marks its 45th anniversary celebration. Heck, event the State of Alabama has declared it Mustang Day in that state.

While wonderin’ where all the time went—has it been 45 years already?—Ol’ Sparky went through this week’s mailbag.

Hey, Sparky:

What’s going on with the Ford teams? After winning the first two races of the season, we’re now 0 for 5. What happened?

Douglass
Arizona

Well, Douglass, as the cleaned-up version of the bumper sticker says, Stuff Happens. And “Stuff” can be defined a number of ways. The short answer, though, is this: You can’t win ’em all. And, you won’t win ’em all. It’s just not goin’ to happen. These things are cyclical. Look at last season, for example. One driver won a lot of races at the beginnin’ of the season, but was not a factor in the Chase. Greg Biffle opened the Chase with a pair of wins, the first driver ever to do that. Carl Edwards finished with a flourish, three wins in the finals four races, and led the series with nine wins. Matt Kenseth got the season off to a great start by winning the Daytona 500 and then at Fontana, but he didn’t win at all in 2008. The key is to take advantage of the good days and not let the not-so-good days hurt so much, and then be ready at the end—whether that’s a race or the season, somethin’ that Ol’ Steady Matty has pretty near perfected. And, Ol’ Sparky is confident that when the Chase rolls around again this year, Ford will be amply represented.