Ford Customer Service Division Announces Finalists in the Second Annual Funny Car Design Contest to Support Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
[image: MC-QL_NewsReleaseHeader.jpg] *FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE DIVISION ANNOUNCES FINALISTS IN THE SECOND ANNUAL FUNNY CAR DESIGN CONTEST TO SUPPORT JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION (JDRF)* DEARBORN, Mich., August 18, 2009 – Five finalists have been chosen from more than 300 designs submitted this summer by JDRF children with type 1 diabetes, as part of a charity contest to design the paint scheme for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car driven by Bob Tasca III. Voting ended on Friday, August 14, and the top five donation-earning designs are in front of a panel of Ford judges for final selection. The winning design will be featured on Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Shelby during the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, on September 18-20. “Any of the top five designs will look great on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang, and that will make selecting one very difficult,” said Brett Wheatley, Director of Marketing, Ford Customer Service Division. “The goal of the Funny Car Design Contest was to help raise awareness for JDRF. I think we accomplished our goal because our generous race fans donated more than $39,000.” The winning designer will be invited to the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, with his or her parents for an official unveiling of their paint scheme, spend time with the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team and see their design run during qualifying sessions for the race. The Second Annual Funny Car Design contest raised $39,542.59. *Top Five Designers * Liam Flanagan, age 7, raised $5,200, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter Griffin King, age 9, raised $4,150, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter Carson Luther, age 7, raised $3,115, Metro St. Louis Chapter Douglas McGuire, age 11, raised $3,093, Bakersfield, CA Chapter Gerod Harder, age 13, raised $3,020, Indiana State Chapter To view all the 2009 JDRF designed Funny Cars, visit www.jdrf.org/ford. *About Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)* JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease, which strikes children suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008. In FY2008, the Foundation funded 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries. www.jdrf.org Diabetes affects more Ford families than any other disease. Ford Motor Company has raised more than $27 million for JDRF since the grassroots campaign started in 1998. Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing On the Web Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MQLRacing Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing About Motorcraft Motorcraft® offers a complete line of original equipment-approved parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood and powertrain repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available locally and are backed nationwide by Ford Motor Company's Service Parts Limited Warranty. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com *About Quick Lane * Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane's® nationwide network of 530 facilities provides the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained technicians). Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.quicklane.com *About Ford Motor Company* Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 201,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com. # # # # Five attachments: Top five JDRF designed Funny Cars. *MEDIA CONTACT:* *Susan Pollack* *Motorcraft/Quick Lane *Tire & Auto Center 313.203.7162 | 313.434.6912 spollack@pcgcampbell.com www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing www.facebook.com/MQLRacing
