Friday, September 10, 2010

Five Finalists Announced in Ford Customer Service Division's NASCAR Design Contest to Support Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

FIVE FINALISTS ANNOUNCED IN FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE DIVISION’S NASCAR DESIGN CONTEST TO SUPPORT JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION

DEARBORN, Mich., September 10, 2010 – Five finalists have been chosen from the 60 designs submitted this summer by JDRF children with type 1 diabetes, as part of a charity contest to design the paint scheme for the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion driven by Bill Elliott.

On-line voting ended on Friday, September 3, and the top five donation-earning designs are in front of a panel of Ford and Wood Brothers Racing judges for final selection. The winning design will be featured on No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion during the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 14-16.

“All of the designs this year were very well done and any of the top five designs will look great on the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion. We have a tough decision in front of us,” said Brett Wheatley, Director of Marketing, Ford Customer Service Division. “The goal of the NASCAR Design Contest was to help raise awareness for JDRF. We accomplished our goal because our generous race fans donated more than $30,000 to support a worthy cause.”

The winning designer will be invited to the Bank of America 500 in Concord, NC, with his or her parents for an official unveiling of their paint scheme, spend time with the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team and see their design run during at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

For the past two years JDRF children have helped design the paint scheme featured on the NHRA Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car, driven by Bob Tasca III. This year, in honor of the Wood Brothers celebrating 60 years of racing Ford products in NASCAR, FCSD has decided to bring the successful contest over to the legendary race team.
This year’s NASCAR Design contest raised $33,391, and in three years, the FCSD efforts have raised more than $157,000 for JDRF.

Top Five Designers
Liam Flanagan, age 8, raised $7,186, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter


Carson Luther, age 8, raised $5,341, St. Louis Chapter



James Krist, age 11, raised $4,035, Omaha-Council Bluffs Chapter


Peyton Polivick, age 9, raised $4,029, Kentuckiana Chapter


Irene Mallano, age 8, raised $3,342, New York Chapter
To view all the 2010 JDRF designed cars, visit www.jdrf.org/ford.

About Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease, which strikes children suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008. In FY2008, the Foundation funded 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries.http://www.jdrf.org/

Diabetes affects more Ford families than any other disease. Ford Motor Company has raised more than $27 million for JDRF since the grassroots campaign started in 1998.

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing On the Web
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MQLRacing
Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing

About Motorcraft
Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers, independent distributors, and automotive parts retailers and are backed by Ford Motor Company’s Service Parts Limited Warranty. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers
Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models. Quick Lane’s nationwide network will surpass 600 facilities, each providing the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained technicians). Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.quicklane.com.

About FordParts.com
FordParts.com allows customers to shop online for over 283,000 Genuine Ford and Motorcraft parts. With FordParts.com, repair shops, body shops, fleets and do-it-yourselfers can shop for, order and ultimately receive parts 24/7 via the click of a mouse. It lets each customer remain connected to their Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership for the parts expertise, personal delivery assistance, and post-sale follow-up associated with a traditional purchase. All customers visiting FordParts.com will benefit from its comprehensive, yet user-friendly nature, perhaps best expressed in the way Ford and Motorcraft parts are shopped for and selected. To do so, customers can enter a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and shop with unmatched accuracy for parts uniquely associated with the vehicle or start by entering the year, make and model of the vehicle. Adding to the site’s functionality is the ability to view 22,865 technical illustrations on many of the parts and assemblies. For more information, visit www.fordparts.com.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 159,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.


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