Ford Eyes NASCAR Truck Dominance
New Development Program Renews Ford’s Commitment to NASCAR Truck Racing
Following the success of a driver development program implemented by Toyota, Ford announced the launch of a similar program. And the program, led by Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR), immediately took aim at the NASCAR truck series. The first signee is reigning ARCA Racing Series champion Chase Briscoe. Briscoe will compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2017.
The new program aims to develop talent so Ford can win both now and in the future. Ford wants to improve their efforts in all levels of NASCAR by developing current talent as well as discovering future stars.
“We’re making a commitment to win long-term in NASCAR,” says Dave Pericak, Global Director, Ford Performance. “We have been increasing our engineering support and our technological development at the team level, and now we’re looking to work with our teams to find the best available drivers coming up in the sport.”
Current Ford teams will be consulted during the selection process, but drivers will be contracted by Ford. Those drivers will also assist the automaker as test drivers within its product development program. Teaming up with BKR was a no-brainer, as the team already fields two full time and one part time entry in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Signing Briscoe right off the bat makes a world of sense as well. The 22 year old Indiana native racked up six wins on his way to the 2016 ARCA championship. Racing since 2001, Briscoe has experience driving everything from quarter midgets to sprint cars. Providing young and talented drivers like Briscoe with the tools and resources they need to hone their talents seems like a win win for everyone involved.
