Congratulations Kenseth, Ford, Roush

Ford in Victory Lane

Congratulations to Matt Kenseth on his win yesterday in the 51st annual Daytona 500. Kenseth drove his Ford Fusion to the front of the pack in a rain shortened race to claim his first Daytona 500 win and the first Ford win since 2000.

Though the excitement of yesterday’s big win was somewhat dampened by the weather Kenseth and his Roush Racing crew were overjoyed by the win. With the Ford Fusion the teams are racing this year utilizing a brand new power plant the early season success just might be a sign of big things to come. For Kenseth, Roush and Ford, all having struggled somewhat in recent seasons, I am sure this would be more than welcome.

The 2009 Daytona 500 probably won’t go down in histroy as one of the highlights of races history though. Due to the race being called by rain much of the excitement one normally experiences during the last few laps at Daytona was lost. There have been a number of great Ford moments at Daytona however.

Here are four Ford Daytona highlights that come to mind. If you can think of any others post a comment and remind us all of other great moments in Ford’s racing history.

Top Ford NASCAR Moments

1967 Mario Andretti — After having wrecked early and finished 39th in his only other Daytona 500 start a year earlier, Mario Andretti piloted his Ford Fairlane to victory in 1967. What makes this race so special is that Andretti, who was not considered a top NASCAR racer, spent the majority of the race blowing away a field that boasted names like Richard Petty, David Pearson and Fred Lorenzen. Not only did he win, but only the caution brought on by Petty’s blown engine could wipe away the 20 second lead Andretti held just before the finish.

2000 Dale Jarret — In 2000 Dale Jarret picked up his third Daytona 500 win in a Ford Taurus. Making the winning pass with four laps to go Jarrett became only the fourth person to claim at least three victories in the Great American Race joining the likes of Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty.

1987 Bill Elliot — Bill Elliot went on to win the 1987 Daytona 500 after qualifying with a speed of 210.364 mph. This stands to this day as the top qualifying speed ever posted since the next year marked the start of the restrictor plate era. Elliot’s win also came just two years after a win in the 1985 500.

1978 Bobby Allison — 1978 marked the first Daytona 500 win of one of the all time great drivers in NASCAR history. Bobby would go on to win the race two more times, in 1982 and 1988. Bobby was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers in 1998 and racked up a total of 85 wins in his illustrious career.

Hope you enjoyed this little stroll down Ford Racing and NASCAR’s memory and victory lane.

Until tomorrow, have a great day!

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