Ford Goes Nuclear in NASCAR with 2013 Fusion

Ford Motors went full rich yesterday by introducing the 2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR (above). The new car is a dramatic departure from the NASCAR "Car of Tomorrow" introduced a few years ago. Back then, NASCAR went for essentially one body style of car that was customized into an ersatz Ford, Chevy, Dodge or Toyota using grill and headlight stickers.

Seems NASCAR figured out that was stupid. The (really) old adage in racing is "what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday." Back in the early days of stock car racing, the cars were actually "stock," as in purchased from a dealer/manufacturer, and then heavily modified. Those day are long gone -- much to the lament of some of the ultra purists out there. But while you can't buy a "stock" car any more, at least you can buy a car that looks VERY much like the one on the the track on Sunday.

"We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return 'stock car' to NASCAR," Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing told NASCAR.com. "I think fans, when they see the car, are just going to smile and cheer. It is going to reengage them with the sport and make the sport better because there is just something natural about seeing race cars that look like cars in their driveways."

Signaling the expected return on investment, Ford said it put tens of thousands of hours went into the development of the car and thousands more hours went into the build-out of the stock car.

Smart move by Ford and NASCAR. Presumably Dodge, Chevy and Toyota will follow suit with cars that are shaped far more like actual production cars. As a Ford loyalist and 2010 Fusion owner I may have to trade up in 2013 ...

Ford news release below ..

New 2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup Car Brings the "Stock Car" Back to NASCAR

• Ford Racing unveils 2013 Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup redesign at Charlotte Motor Speedway during NASCAR Media Tour.

• 2013 Sprint Cup car features full redesign by Ford designers to mirror 2013 Fusion production car and return brand identity to the track.

• New Fusion race car will debut at Daytona 500 in February, 2013.

Manufacturer brand identity is back in NASCAR.

The 2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup car, unveiled today as part of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour, was worked on by Ford designers in an effort to bring brand identity back to the sport. The result is undeniable with the 2013 Sprint Cup car mirroring the recently unveiled 2013 Ford Fusion production car.

Featuring a completely redesigned sleek new silhouette and fresh face, the 2013 Fusion Sprint Cup car was designed to be the face of a new era of stock car racing.

"We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return 'stock car' to NASCAR," stated Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing. "I think fans, when they see the car, are just going to smile and cheer. It is going to reengage them with the sport and make the sport better because there is just something natural about seeing race cars that look like cars in their driveways."

This marks the third time Ford simultaneously launched production and NASCAR versions of a new model. The first dual launch came in 1968, with the sleek fastback Ford Torino. Legendary NASCAR driver David Pearson drove the Torino to back-to-back NASCAR championships in 1968 and 1969. The second time came in 2006, when the then newly introduced Ford Fusion appeared in showrooms and on the track.

Ford took a different approach with the development of the 2013 Fusion racer. Ford Design Center staff, led by Garen Nicoghosian, and Ford aerodynamicist Bernie Marcus, spent the past year doing the early design development, freeing up the Ford race teams to concentrate on weekly NASCAR competition.

"This is a seminal moment in the sport where we had a chance to get it right once again and make sure the race cars are race versions of street cars. And I am proud because I believe we have accomplished just that," continued Allison. "The 2013 Fusion is a stunning car and the 2013 NASCAR Fusion is even more stunning and I can't wait to see it perform on the track and connect with race fans."

Ford designers, led by Nicoghosian, addressed three main issues to mirror the 2013 Sprint Cup Fusion to the 2013 production Fusion found on showroom floors.

Design Features of the 2013 Fusion Sprint Cup Car

• Designers addressed the overall proportion of the race car to reflect proportions found in the production Fusion.

• Brand and design cues in the side of the vehicle.

• An identifiable front end grill with the distinctive look of a Ford.

"It looks fun to drive and very much eager to go and tear up the track. It has a very aggressive stance from the outside and the inside. From all angles the vehicle exudes performance and I think it reflects our general attitude of how we go about setting up our cars very, very nicely," said Nicoghosian. "It brings a certain level of nimbleness and lightness and agility to the NASCAR platform, much like we do in our production cars, because all of our production cars have that nimbleness and agility and eagerness about them."

The new NASCAR Fusion entries will be tested throughout the 2012 campaign in preparation for their racing debut at the 2013 Daytona 500 in February.

Comments

[redcar]

that might sell some Fords.

[Doug]

As someone who used to be a NASCAR fan back when it genuinely based on production cars, I'm extremely happy to see them return to this philosophy. While still a silhouette car, at least the car is actually recognizable as its production counterpart. Now if they can bring the engine and transmission technology into the 21st century (hell, if they could at least bring it into the 90s!) I might start being a fan once again.

[billytheskink]

Well, Doug, NASCAR is going to fuel-injection this year.

[Brett]

Hardly a radical change. It basically looks like the same body. It still looks like a replica of a 2-door "stock" car being marketed as a 4-door "stock" car. Why are the manufacturers marketing 4-door sedans through racing, anyway? Who races Camrys? Please tell me the American public isn't that stupid.

[Mike R]

Pretty slick lookin' car to me. If the production car actually looks close to that, it will get a lot of attention. And if other mfgs are putting out their own versions of a car (no longer the COT 'one body fits all' template racing?) then there may be some actual competition and some teams that can make inroads to the top with the right brand. The less spec-racing, the better.

[Erwin Calverley]

Ford's future car for NASCAR looks cleaner and simpler than the previous cars they used in the race, but the aggressive stance and the sleek lines clearly tell you that it's not a car you'd want to mess with. That can definitely draw more people to appreciate the adrenaline-pumping action of racing cars!

[Brian McKay - I'm not fooled]

"We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return 'stock car' to NASCAR," said Jamie Allison. Riiiiiight ... That's a purpose-built, tube-frame race car, not a stock car. What part of that racer is shared with the Fusions at the retailers?