SUMMARY

• Starting with this weekend’s Sprint Unlimited, every car in the field must be equipped with a digital dash.  This is one of the latest technical developments that will provide driver, team and fans with more precise information.
• To enhance your coverage of this topic, Ford Performance has produced a video featuring Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola, crew chief Trent Owens, and director of engineering Scott McDougall that highlights the benefits of the digital dash.
• The digital dash is just the latest development for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season that will feature Ford’s all-new NASCAR Fusion, which is based on the 2017 Fusion production car.

·         VIDEO: https://youtu.be/TyJw_nW5h_g

CONTEXT / BACKGROUND
Last season, NASCAR announced that teams would be going to a digital dash in 2016.  While teams had the option to utilize it starting in August last season, it is now mandatory.  The new technology has been implemented to provide drivers, teams and fans more precise information about the car.

IMAGES
Dash images are attached with this email.  Additional high resolutions images available at www.media.ford.com

DETAILS
Aric Almirola, driver, No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion
Trent Owens, crew chief, No. 43 Smithfield Ford Fusion
Scott McDougall, director of engineering, Richard Petty Motorsports

Video is full packaged feature that runs approximately one minute and features multiple interior shots of the digital dash, along with sound bites from those listed above.

QUOTES
“When I first started late model racing the only thing I had in my race car was a tach, a water temperature gauge, and an oil-pressure gauge.  I think the digital dash is really cool.  It’s making the inside of our race cars look a lot more like the street car, and I think it’s time.  The analg gauges are a thing of the past and it’s right for our race cars to do the same.

Aric Almirola
Driver, No. 43 Smithfield Fusion
Richard Petty Motorsports

“In order to attract the next generation of race fans, we are going to have to make a step in the future and things like the digital dash is a great step towards that.”

Trent Owens
Crew Chief, No. 43 Smithfield Fusion
Richard Petty Motorsports
 

“It pretty much brings us into modern technology.  We all see it more and more in our cars every day with the touch screens, but it does lead us into a direction where we can tailor more for them.”

Scott McDougall
Director of Engineering
Richard Petty Motorsports