[Don]

Source: FordRacing.com

" FR9, KENSETH, RAGAN STEP TO NEW START
10/27/2009 THIS WEEK IN FORD RACING "

" Talladega, Ala. — Matt Kenseth and David Ragan will be the first two drivers to have the new Ford FR9 engine under race conditions when they hit the track this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Both drivers recently provided their thoughts regarding debuting Ford’s first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine.

MATT KENSETH – NO. 17 DEWALT FORD FUSION
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RUNNING THE FR9 THIS WEEKEND?
“I’m looking forward to running it, but whenever you’re one of the first guys to run something new to come out there’s always that risk of not finishing or something happening to it, but yet it’s something we need to get in the cars if we’re planning on implementing it for next year. We need to run it this year, so if there are any problems, we can get them worked out during the off-season.

"They said the new plate engine is running better than our old plate stuff, so I wanted to run it at Talladega for sure. The open stuff, I know, they’re still working on a little bit. I don’t know if we’re gonna get a chance to run that or not, but I know the restrictor-plate stuff they’ve been real happy and excited about running, so I’m looking forward to trying that.”

DAVID RAGAN – NO. 6 UPS FORD FUSION
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT BEING THE FIREST ONE TO RUN THIS ENGINE IN A RACE?
“They’ve got dynos and computer technology that they can simulate a race at the engine shop and never even see the race track, so I’m not concerned at all about the performance or the engine life that the FR9 will have. I think we’re in a lucky situation just to be able to run the new engine.
"I’m sure there are gonna be some small bugs to work out, but we look forward to getting in and getting going. I think it’s gonna be a fun weekend. Our cars are always fast there and if we get to where we have just a little bit more speed, we’re gonna be a car that can certainly win. I think that the Roush Yates guys and Ford have done a good job in getting this engine to go. That’s why we’ve been so late in getting the car ready, and just because they want to make sure everything is ready to go, so it’s gonna be a fun weekend.”

ARE YOU EXPECTING A LOT MORE HORSEPOWER WITH THIS NEW ENGINE?
“The horsepower is not a big difference. The horsepower of our current engine is very strong. It’s certainly not the engine that’s been beating us every week. I think we still have to work on getting through the corners, but I think this motor is gonna be easier to work on. I think some of the parts are better, some of the cooling system is better, some of the internal things that I frankly don’t know much about will separate this engine from the others. So, I don’t expect to see when we step on the throttle all kinds of new horsepower. I think it’s better, but the horsepower we have now is pretty good.” "