Ford had only one victory in 2007’s first eight events, that by #17-Matt Kenseth in Week 2. In three races with the Car of Tomorrow, the manufacturer was winless with only four top-10s, none better than fifth. Rival Chevy had seven wins, including all three races in the COT and 23 top-10s in the new car. Hendrick Motorsports, the top Chevy team, had five wins and was so dominant in the COT the rest of the competition looked clueless. These are much happier times for team owner Jack Roush and Ford exec Dan Davis. “I really felt like we didn’t have the engineering base that they had at Hendricks,” Davis said. “I felt like, ‘OK, it’s going to be a struggle all year, and we’ve got to work really hard to catch up.'” That they did. Two-thirds through the 2007 season, Ford — specifically Roush Fenway — had all but eliminated the deficit it faced in the new car. And eight races into the 2008 season, despite Jimmie Johnson’s win last weekend at Phoenix to give HMS its first win, one could even argue Ford has taken over the top spot. Edwards’ victory at Texas was Ford’s third in seven races. Two top-10s at Phoenix gave the manufacturer 18, including eight top-5s, in the new car, which was fully implemented for this season.(ESPN.com)(4-19-2008)
