FORD SWITCHING TO MUSTANG

Ford to switch to Mustang in 2011? NASCAR is expected to change the shape of the front bumper on all Sprint Cup cars for the 2011 season to help improve brand identity for its auto manufacturers. For Ford, that could eventually lead to a change in what nameplate it puts on its car, with a possible move from the Fusion currently being used to the Mustang. But first, Ford officials want to see how the changes affect the front of the Cup car. NASCAR Vice President Robin Pemberton said Friday the sanctioning body is close to approving the final specifications for the new front bumper. The change will be in the bottom half of the bumper, which currently has a rectangular indentation where the bottom half does not stick out as far as the top half. The new front bumper will be more curved, and the change would eliminate the need for the front splitter braces because much of that area of empty space will now be part of the new curved lower half. "We're working on it we're close on that," Pemberton said. "It's just time for a style change. We've been working on it for about a year now. We're working on [the brand identity] with the manufacturers." Some of what is being changed to the Cup car is being used on the new Nationwide car, which is going to be run for four races in 2010 and then full-time in 2011. Ford and Dodge are introducing muscle-car nameplates (Mustang and Challenger) in conjunction with the new Nationwide car. Toyota and Chevrolet are keeping the Camry and Impala nameplates. Ford Racing's North America Motorsports Director Jamie Allison said Thursday that if everything goes well in implementing the Mustang into the Nationwide Series, as well as the changes to the front bumper of the Cup car, he would consider changing the Ford nameplate for Cup to Mustang. "We want to see more brand identity in the cars," Allison said Thursday during an event at the Henry Ford Museum near Detroit. "We've been asking NASCAR because we've liked what transpired in the Nationwide." The manufacturers seem ready for the change and have run testing with the cars in simulation and wind tunnels.(SceneDaily]


UPDATE: The Sprint Cup car is about to lose its braces. Beginning with the 2011 season, NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said a new front valance and splitter combination should eliminate the need for the braces that hold the splitter in place under the current design. "It will be less utilitarian-looking," Pemberton said. "It'll have a little more style in it, and I think people will like that. As we work forward, that's not the last change. We're looking on some stuff that actually has to coincide with the manufacturers and their introduction of new cars to sell." Pemberton said the current design, introduced in 2007, is due for an upgrade. And with the implementation of the new Nationwide Series chassis this season, NASCAR's research and development team went to work on trying to add some pizzazz -- and manufacturer identity -- to the Cup cars. Replacing the unpopular rear wing with the spoiler was the first step, according to Pemberton. So what will the new front bumper look like? According to Pemberton, it'll incorporate a lot of the Nationwide design. That could mean more changes to make the current generic chassis a little more manufacturer-specific, Pemberton said, perhaps as early as 2012 or '13.
(NASCAR.com]