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Dearborn, Mich. — Thirty-eight years.
That’s how long it’s been since Ford introduced an all-new model and went NASCAR racing with that model at the same time.
That 1968 car was the Ford Torino, which went on to be a hit in both the marketplace and on the race track. NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson took the Torino to championships in both 1968 and 1969.
Ford is confident the 2006 Ford Fusion will experience similar success, both on and off the track.
“Fusion’s bold, new styling and its dynamic driving personality are very consistent with what you would look for in both a production car and a race car,” said Marty Collins, General Marketing Manager, Ford Division.
“We believe that Fusion is a car that demands to be noticed, and in a sport like NASCAR, there’s going to be millions of race fans tuning in every week who are going to have a great opportunity to see Fusion in a winning situation, and associate that winning with the Ford brand.”
Ford believes the demographics of the NASCAR audience and the customer interested in Fusion match up very well.
“NASCAR fans, and the Fusion customer, both encompass a broad spectrum of America,” said Burt Diamond, global marketing manager, Ford Racing Technology. “One in three adult Americans consider themselves NASCAR fans, so that’s a huge population base that we have to work with in helping Ford Division market the car.
“We know the NASCAR fan base is more family-oriented, and is becoming more ethnically diverse and more affluent than ever before, so it really makes sense for us to feature this new car among these audiences.”
The new Fusion production car and the new race version will start appearing together this Saturday when the first of nine Ford Racing Innovation Drives takes place at Kentucky Speedway.
Several thousand consumers will get the first chance to drive the new production Fusion and other Ford products on the Speedway track, while the new NASCAR Fusion, unveiled today in Charlotte, will make its first public appearance at the event.
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