Series Championship Banquet notes

Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup Closes With Championship Celebrations

Tooele, UT (24 September 2008) --Just over one year after the concept was finalized for Miller Motorsports Park to team with Ford Racing to develop the pioneering Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup concept, the series closed out a highly successful 2008 season with a Championship Banquet at the Miller Motorsports Park Clubhouse at Miller Motorsports Park on Sunday evening.

Hosted by 1989 Trans-Am Champion Ford Mustang Driver and SPEED Analyst Dorsey Schroeder, the banquet marked the first public showing of the Miller Cup, which was built by SPA Composites of Lichfield Staffs, UK as Larry Miller capped the evening off with a championship salute to Andrew Caddell, awarding him the very first Miller Cup.

After leading the points from the very start of the inaugural season, Caddell was happy to pose for photos with his new piece of Miller Cup championship hardware has he thanked his family, sponsors, and both TC Motorsports and StableOne Racing for their support in making his 2008 season such a remarkable one.

Caddell didn't just get a trophy, as Ford Racing Performance Group Manager Jamie Allison was also on hand to give the Champion a scale model Ford Mustang FR500C as a token gift for a much bigger prize--an opportunity to race a Ford Mustang in the season-opening Grand-Am KONI Challenge race at Daytona International Speedway in January 2009.

The ceremony also saw Discovery Communication's Clint Stitchcomb on hand to provide a sneak preview of the "Why We Race--The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup" HD Theatre television show, which will premier on December 7th at 8:00 PM ET.

Doug Brown of BFGoodrich Tires was also part of the ceremonies, introducing third-place championship finisher Mike McGovern as Ford Mustang Brand Manager Fritz Wilke introduced Jamie Slone for his runner-up finish in the 2008 Championship. In addition to recognizing the top ten in points, the banquet also crowned some season-ending awards for some of the special prizes that the Mustang Challenge awards each race of the season.

The Barbasol "Closest Shave of the Season" went to Joe Lee Middlebrooks for his dramatic run to the podium, which didn't just net him some champagne, as the Alabama native also scored a $1,000 check for his .016-seconds finish over Caddell on the last lap of the 2008 season.

Andrew Hendricks took the Zantrex-3 Award on behalf of StableOne Racing for their powerful performance at the front of the field with drivers Terry Borcheller and Andrew Caddell.

George Winkler brought home the Sunoco "Setting the Standard Award" after showing teamwork, sportsmanship, and a strong measure of both camaraderie and competitiveness throughout the season.

The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup would like to once again thank the efforts and support of all participants, Ford Racing, Larry Miller and the entire Miller Motorsports Park staff, and the corner workers and on-site and trackside personnel who made the season possible

-credit: www.mustangchallenge.com