PAOLI, Pa. (August 31, 2020) – AmericanMuscle’s (AM) newest video is a walk-through guide for 2015-2020 Ford Mustang owners looking to level up the trim on their doors and dash. The video features an 8-piece genuine carbon-fiber trim kit from MMD designed to fit GT, EcoBoost, and V6 Mustang models equipped with the standard 3 vent center dash. The kit comes pre-installed with 3M tape for a peel-and-stick application. (more…)
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, celebrates his victory Thursday, May 28, 2020 during the rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series Alsco Uniforms 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. This is the second NASCAR Cup Series race within a few days at an empty Charlotte Speedway, during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo for Chevy Racing by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
After a 10-week layoff due to the coronavirus, Matt DiBenedetto climbed back into the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang and was back at work in Sunday’s The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway.
In an effort to try to prevent the spread of the virus, Sunday’s race was run without practice or qualifying.
DiBenedetto said taking the green flag at the “Track Too Tough to Tame” under those circumstances wasn’t as difficult as it might seem.
“It felt great to get back in the car,” he said. “It was like riding a bike. Even Lap One was not uncomfortable.
“It was good to get back in a rhythm.”
With no practice to fine-tune the set-up of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang, the team had to make its best guess as far as a combination of shocks, springs and adjustments.
DiBenedetto said they came close to getting the set-up they needed but were a bit off.
“We couldn’t get the balance right,” he said. “We worked on it, but never could get the speed we were looking for.
“At best we were a 10th– to 12th-place car and wound up 14th,” he said. “We fought hard and made the best adjustments we could, but we had to work with what we had when we unloaded.”
Sunday’s return to racing saw the Mustang of Kevin Harvick take the checkered flag, and Eddie Wood said the victory came at a great time for Ford Motor Company.
“With all that Ford has done in using its resources to address the health-care crisis facing our nation, the company and its employees deserve to have a race win to celebrate,” Wood said. “And it was more special because it was such a dominating victory.”
DiBenedetto’s 14th-place finish allowed him to remain ninth in the Cup standings heading into Wednesday night’s race, a rare mid-week Cup race which also will be run at Darlington Raceway.
###
About Motorcraft:
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
About Omnicraft:
Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visitwww.omnicraftautoparts.
About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.
When Matt DiBenedetto travels to Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s resumption of the NASCAR Cup Series season he’ll be doing it much like old-school race fans have done over the years.
Due to conditions placed on the event because of concerns of spreading COVID-19, DiBenedetto and his fellow drivers will drive themselves to the track and basically quarantine themselves until they strap in for the start of the 400-mile race.
Just as old-school fans who packed a picnic lunch and fired up the ol’ hotrod for the trip to NASCAR’s original superspeedway, DiBenedetto plans to take his favorite street ride – a blue 2020 Ford Mustang GT – and a cooler full of goodies prepared by his wife Taylor.
“I’m going to enjoy driving down there,” DiBenedetto said, adding that since he doesn’t have a motorcoach, he’ll hang out in and around his Mustang before he takes the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang. “I’ll eat a couple of sandwiches and do some stretching to be sure I’m ready to race.”
For Sunday’s race, and three of the next four Cup races, there will be no practice and no qualifying – just line up and race. The starting field for Sunday will be set by a modified random draw. The No. 21 team, which is ninth in Cup points, will join the other teams in the top 12 in points for a draw for the top 12 starting positions. The rest of the field will be set in a similar fashion.
DiBenedetto said he’s not worried about the entire field barreling off into Turn One at the Track Too Tough to Tame without a single lap of practice.
“Call me crazy, but I think that will be pretty cool,” he said. “It’ll be a fun opportunity to fire off cold turkey, especially at Darlington, one of the toughest places we go to.
“It’ll be a neat story that we can tell the rest of our lives.”
DiBenedetto said he believes his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will be in the ballpark, handling-wise, when the race starts. The team has data from previous races to use in setting up the car.
“I have so much confidence in my team,” he said. “They are so good.”
He did say that he expects the competition to be stiff, even at the start of the race.
“People will give each other some room, but they will still be pretty aggressive,” DiBenedetto said. “With the higher downforce package we’re running, passing cars in dirty air is difficult.
“Starts and restarts are where you make up the most ground.”
DiBenedetto has made five career Cup starts at Darlington, with a best finish of eighth in his most recent appearance there.
Sunday’s race, the fifth of 2020, is set to get the green flag just after 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on FOX.
###
About Motorcraft:
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
About Omnicraft:
Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visitwww.omnicraftautoparts.
About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.
50+ Hours of Classic Mecum Auctions from Kissimmee, Monterey and Indianapolis; Plus Eddie Vannoy and John Atzbach Collections Specials
Classic Cars Include Mecum Auctions’ Record-Breaking Steve McQueen 1968 Ford Mustang GT in “Bullitt”; Alexander Rossi’s 2016 INDY 500-Winning Car; and the One and Only 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake
Content to Stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 7, 2020 – Beginning Monday, May 11, NBC Sports will present Mecum Main Attractions Week on NBCSN, featuring more than 50 hours of classic Mecum Auctions action across seven events from Kissimmee (2018, 2019, 2020), Monterey (2018, 2019) and Indianapolis (2018, 2019), as well as thirty-minute specials on the Eddie Vannoy and John Atzbach Collections that will cross the block in 2020. (more…)
After a week off for Easter, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford Mustang return to the world of virtual racing with the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at Richmond Raceway. (more…)
|
|
Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will return to competition on network TV this weekend as the sport’s iRacing wing steps up to deliver live content to a sports world starved for entertainment due to the coronavirus. (more…)
When it comes to rowdy late-model Mustang builds, no one does it better than Justin Dugan at AmericanMuscle (AM). In AM’s latest Hot Lap episode, Justin takes the keys to AM employee Kylen’s 2017 Mustang GT to install an Air Lift suspension and VMP supercharger, among some other tasteful Mustang mods, before a trip to the dyno for some before and after power numbers. (more…)
Challenger and Mustang Owners: Here is your chance to win AmericanMuscle’s (AM) biggest giveaway of 2020! From now until 5/14/20, enter daily to maximize your chances in taking home a $15,000 shopping spree on AmericanMuscle.com (more…)
