Ford Unveils new NASCAR:

[Cyclopsis Joe]

Yup, phasing out the 7 year old Taurus after this season:

http://www.tsn.ca/auto_racing/news_story.asp?id=130352

(How ironic I got it off a canadian site)

[DEAD!]

How about a link from NASCAR's site

http://www.nascar.com/2005/news/headlines/...sion/index.html

[Cyclopsis Joe]

I don't go to NASCAR.com..Marty Smith sucks.

[KCScout76]

Sweet looking ride - I'd like to see it race that d*mmed Diet Pepsi Truck.

I'm not even a Ford fan, but this in one nice looking Car!

[Camden Crazy]

If that hideous "grill" was gone, it'd be a kick ass ride...

[Cyclopsis Joe]

Now check this out: with those headlights, they eliminate Toyota's option to put the Camry into NASCAR. Why? Because they look exactly alike, and that's bad PR for Toyota.

Bad enough they ripped of "Built Ford Tough".

[RyanB06]

What are you talking about? The Camry and the Fusion look nothing alike from the front.

Also, I've heard that Toyota will be running the Busch series next season, so it looks like the Camry will be on the track (unless they go with a different model).

And for the record, that likely won't be how the final product looks (I doubt Ford is keeping the grill decal as it is), so it's possible things will change before Daytona next February.

Interesting that we think it looks good; most of the guys on a NASCAR game forum I'm in say it's ugly - then again, they're all Chevy guys too...

[epper]

guys, guys guys.....all that is is an '05 taurus with new Fusion headlight and grill stickers slapped on.

see that big rectangle indent in the grill? thats just the taurus grill underneath. it also has the grooves under the headlights, and the exact same hood outline as the taurus.

here's an '05 taurus. see what im talking about?

i'll bet any money that the real fusion will have these headlights and grill, but the actual shape of the body will be radically different.

[pagan696]

the correct term is "decals". my profession is higher regarded than "sticker maker".

all the mfg makes and models are spec'd to body templates or "aero-matched" as the shop owners like to call it. they all are custom-built from tube frame up, to be more like high end expensive go-carts rather than the things you and i would drive daily on the streets. sure they try to style each car to mimic the street version of the nameplates, but the brands are all way more similar than different (even down to the engines). it is very obvious when you have them side by side. this also applies from racecar comparisons (GM next to Ford next to Dodge) to racecar to street car (Charger next to street Charger).

i would also point out each team has 3 to 5 different setups of their cars that with those lined up side to side, are wayy different. a superspeedway car (daytona/talledega) is much different than the shorttracker (bristol), and the body lines and stance of a 1.5er (atlanta/charlotte/las vegas/texas) differ from those as well.

and remember the whole deal with manufacturers...

if it wins on Sundays, it sells on Mondays.

i too, do like the new body.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

Since you know all of this, does you know if anyone still uses Earnhardt's "Intimidator Bars"?

[RyanB06]

If you're referring to the three strips of metal down the front windshield, they're NASCAR mandated now. All cars have them.

[wheateater]

Hmm. Those decals kinda look like the Cadillac CTS/STS front grilles....

I'm interested in seeing how the final Fusion product comes out looking, since I am, indeed, a GM guy.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

If you're referring to the three strips of metal down the front windshield, they're NASCAR mandated now. All cars have them

Uh, no.

I'm talking about the little bars Earnhardt had welded from the inside of his front bumper to the frame of his car so he could bump draft without creating aero problems.

[SEMOSTLfan]

I find it funny that all the American companies are scrambling to revolutionize their machines with Toyota running next year. This tells me that they know whatever Toyota puts on the track is going to be superior to their equipment. I also heard on a nascar broadcast a while back that arch-rivals roush and hendrick racing are teaming up to create a better engine in preperation for Toyota entering nascar in 2006. Well i think its now obvious who makes the best cars since everyone in nascar seems to be getting a little antsy.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

I find it funny that all the American companies are scrambling to revolutionize their machines with Toyota running next year. This tells me that they know whatever Toyota puts on the track is going to be superior to their equipment. I also heard on a nascar broadcast a while back that arch-rivals roush and hendrick racing are teaming up to create a better engine in preperation for Toyota entering nascar in 2006. Well i think its now obvious who makes the best cars since everyone in nascar seems to be getting a little antsy.

Could you say that, again?

By revolutionize, you mean, upgrade? If so, the reason the Taurus and the Intrepid went bye-bye is because Ford and Dodge quit making the models, and the stock cars have to be current models.

Also, what broadcast told you that a Ford team and a Chevy team are working on an engine package?

Plus, technically, Toyota has made NO cars in NASCAR, so they can't be "the best cars". And don't even try to argue their Truck teams..

[SEMOSTLfan]

ok sorry i didn't mean to ruffle any feathers...btw I since realized that the thing about hendrick and roush teaming up was in an espn the magazine article i read. If you'd like the exact issue i could do my best to dig it up. And by saying toyota makes the best cars i wasn't referring to NASCAR because you are right they haven't proven anything there yet but i was referring to their everyday vehicles and their reliability/performance.

Sorry if i misled you.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

ok sorry i didn't mean to ruffle any feathers...btw I since realized that the thing about hendrick and roush teaming up was in an espn the magazine article i read.  If you'd like the exact issue i could do my best to dig it up.  And by saying toyota makes the best cars i wasn't referring to NASCAR because you are right they haven't proven anything there yet but i was referring to their everyday vehicles and their reliability/performance.

Sorry if i misled you.

You didn't ruffle any feathers, I was just found it hard to believe that there are people rooting for Toyota.

I would like to hear that issue, because I don't see Ford and Chevy working together, Chevy and Pontiac never worked together, and they were both GM.

[bosox]

ok sorry i didn't mean to ruffle any feathers...btw I since realized that the thing about hendrick and roush teaming up was in an espn the magazine article i read.  If you'd like the exact issue i could do my best to dig it up.  And by saying toyota makes the best cars i wasn't referring to NASCAR because you are right they haven't proven anything there yet but i was referring to their everyday vehicles and their reliability/performance.

Sorry if i misled you.

You didn't ruffle any feathers, I was just found it hard to believe that there are people rooting for Toyota.

I would like to hear that issue, because I don't see Ford and Chevy working together, Chevy and Pontiac never worked together, and they were both GM.

It actually sounds familiar, no matter how weird it sounds.

But I agree, I can't see it happening. No way. A Ford and a Chevy? Wasn't Bill Davis stripped of help from Dodge after teaming with Toyoto?

[Cyclopsis Joe]

Yeah. And Travis Kvapil was fired (Toyota demanded it) when he tested for Penske, I believe.

[pagan696]

the Ford/Chevy partnership was not of the 2 manufacturers but of 2 different raceshops, Roush/Hendrick coming together to make a common engine prototype if NASCAR ever did switch to all custom spec'd engines, not a Ford or GM, but say a "NASCAR" brand engine. they've long talked about common bodies (aeromatched templates) so the driveline wouldn't be far behind also being commonly matched. once again, the manfacturers don't want this because the reasoning behind supporting a Ford race team with lots of Ford dollars is to sell Ford street cars.

the scare from Toyota is that they've been known to pour ton of resources into whatever racing programs they've entered. IF, they ever get into the Cup Series... they would make a big push to be competitive, and that's where the big "scare" comes from.