UAW-Ford 500
Leaders from the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Ford Motor Company joined today with Talladega Superspeedway to announce that the fall NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway will be known as the UAW-Ford 500, beginning in 2005.
The race entitlement is part of a multi-year agreement between the entities that also establishes Ford as the official car and truck of the historic Alabama racetrack. "United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Company have built a long, solid history of working together to produce some of the finest automotive products in the world, and we have built a long, solid history of high-quality, competitive racing at Talladega," said Talladega Superspeedway President Grant Lynch. "It's such a natural fit. We are thrilled to bring UAW-Ford on board with us and look forward to all of the opportunities this will bring in making it the most exciting year ever for our fans."
The natural relationship between Ford Motor Company and the racing industry can be traced back to the automobile's origins, for as soon as men could create cars it seemed they wanted to race them. Before company founder Henry Ford became a household name for designing the affordable Model T in 1908, he had already been winning races for several years prior in other models he'd designed, starting with a 1901 victory on a one-mile oval at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Pointe, MI.
Ford's history in NASCAR can be traced back to the very first Grand National (now NEXTEL Cup) Series event, when Jim Roper drove his Lincoln to victory in Charlotte on June 19, 1949. Ford also holds a special place in Talladega Superspeedway history as the vehicle in which Bill Elliott set an all-time 212.809 mph NASCAR qualifying speed record here. The all-time NASCAR race speed record was also set in a Ford at Talladega, when Mark Martin won the 1997 Winston 500 at an average speed of 188.354 mph.
"This is another demonstration of UAW-Ford's commitment to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. We are excited to be involved with such a fine organization as the Talladega Superspeedway," stated Gerald D. Bantom, Vice President, and Director, UAW National Ford Department.
"We are thrilled to be associated with this historically great event. We are proud of the fact that the UAW-Ford 500 race announcement coincides with the inception of the new Ford 500," said Ford Motor Company's Vice President of Labor Affairs, Marty Mulloy.