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NASCAR WCUP: Roush and Busch to Honor 100th Anniversary of Ford Racing

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.- This weekend, Jack Roush and Kurt Busch will step into a special place in Ford Motor Company's storied racing history.

Roush Racing has agreed to help Ford celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Ford Racing by outfitting the #97 Roush Racing Ford Taurus with a special edition paint scheme for Thursday's Gatorade Twin 125 qualifying race and Sunday's Daytona 500.

Ford announced a year-long celebration of its 100th season of racing during press conferences in Chicago and Daytona last week.

"There's no better way to bring the message of our 100-year history in racing to our fans than to run a special edition Taurus in the Daytona 500," said Dan Davis, director, Ford Racing Technology. "And who better to prepare that car than one of our racing legends - Jack Roush?"

Roush's legacy within Ford Racing is secure amid his teams' successes in NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, and NHRA. His teams have collected 47 career NASCAR Winston Cup victories, 10 GT-class wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck championship, to name only a few of his achievements.

"We began talking with Ford several weeks ago about celebrating the 100-year racing anniversary," said Roush. "We've got quite a history together, Ford and Roush Racing, and that makes it a natural fit.

"I look at it as an honor to highlight the Ford Racing program's great heritage that we have fortunate to be part of for so many years."

At 22, the youngest of Ford's NASCAR Winston Cup drivers, Busch receives the unique honor of celebrating Ford Motor Company's oldest business endeavor in his debut Daytona 500.

The special edition 100th anniversary paint scheme, intended for competition during Speedweeks only, depicts Henry Ford, race car builder Oliver Barthel, and Ford's original 1901 "Sweepstakes" race car which won "the race that changed the world" on the hood. The image of the 1901 car is highlighted by a graphic Ford Racing, 100 Years, and a cream and red ribbon flows front to rear over a blue base background.

The "race that changed the world" occurred on October 10, 1901, when Henry Ford defeated Alexander Winton, the most accomplished automobile builder/racer of the era, in a 10-lap race at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

The acclaim from that race, the only one Henry Ford ever drove, brought him one giant step closer to achieving his dream: to manufacture a vehicle that was strong, dependable, lightweight, and inexpensive. He founded the Ford Motor Company two years later - in June, 1903 - spawning a series of advancements in automotive design, mass production, and marketing that made the automobile a mainstream consumer product.

Ford Motor Company recently unveiled its plans to celebrate a century of racing excellence throughout 2001 with a series of events, contests, auto show displays, and chronicles. Visit www.fordracing.com for details.

Text Provided By Kevin Kennedy

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.