Roush Fenway Excited About Mustang NASCAR Debut at Daytona
Roush Fenway will play a proud part in the muscle car’s debut into the series, fielding four drivers who will look for the honor of being the first to take the ‘iconic’ car to victory lane.
“It would be really cool to win that first race at Daytona with the Mustang," said Roush Fenway’s Carl Edwards. “I have a Mustang that I drive on the road. I like driving the Mustang, people relate to the Mustang and they enjoy it. I’ve had more people excited about that car than any of the other changes we’ve done with the bodies or the spoilers or the wings. People are pumped about seeing Mustangs race.
“For me it’s something that I can identify with and I think for the fans and the Mustang enthusiast they can enjoy it as well. It’s neat for me as a car guy myself to be able to get out of the Mustang that I drive on the street and come here and get into a NASCAR Mustang stock car and go out here and race."
Roush Fenway owner Jack Roush is equally enthusiastic about the Mustang’s debut.
“The Ford Mustang is the greatest muscle car of all time," said Roush. “It’s pretty exciting for the most iconic sports car of all time to make the move from the street to the race track. When you look at the new Nationwide Ford Mustang, you see a Ford Mustang. You see its heritage, its body cues. You see a lot of things that excite you if you have been a part of the automotive history of watching the Mustang, or being a part of it as an enthusiast or owner of a Mustang."
"I'm really excited at the opportunity I have to climb inside the No. 16 Ford Mustang this weekend at Daytona," said Roush Fenway rookie Brian Ickler, who tested the car at Daytona a few weeks ago. “There is a ton of brand identity built into these cars and personally, I think they look really cool. Ford just did a great job with the design. I think because of the launch of the new car this weekend, there is going to be a lot more excitement surrounding our race and the weekend in general, and it's a cool thing to get our fans excited about."
The other drivers agree that the car definitely carries the look of the classic sports car.
“It’s a cool looking car for sure," said Paul Menard, who will pilot the No. 98 Ford Mustang on Friday night. “It’s defiantly my favorite of any of the four manufactures to look at."
“The car looks really good to me," added Edwards. “I think they did a really good job of capturing the lines of the Mustang. It’s like the Mustang you wish you had on the road. It’s really neat looking."
“The fans have heard about it and seen pictures of it, but not many of them have actually been there to watch it," added Roush Fenway fellow rookie driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
“It’s going to be cool to have them all painted up because up until now they’ve all been in primer, so to have them painted with all the door decals and tail pipes on them like our
Mustang has is going to be awesome. Obviously, the night race at Daytona is a cool race anyway, and to have the new Mustang come out, which I think is the best-looking car out of the new Nationwide cars, I think the fans will agree and there’s just going to be a lot of excitement going into it.
“I was at an appearance a few weeks ago and there were some members of the Mustang Club there and they were all excited. They told me that the whole Mustang Club was excited about it, so that’s cool that the Mustang Club is back into NASCAR.
“Roush Fenway Racing and Ford will definitely make the Mustang fast," added Stenhouse. “I have tested it but I can't wait to start racing with it and I know the fans are going to love it."
“It’s just a wonderful thing to see one more chapter in the Mustang’s automotive history being written here as we watch," added Roush.