Series round six preview

Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Ready for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Debut
Championship showdown moves out West

(Tooele, UT) 11 May 2009--This weekend's Verizon Festival Of Speed marks the first visit to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge, but the Ford Mustang already has a long legacy of racing success on the Monterrey Peninsula. From Bud Moore's Trans-Am Mustangs to the Ford Mustang driven by Boris Said in Trans-Am competition decades later, Ford pony power has seen champagne sprayed by the gallons at Laguna Seca.

But this weekend, the Mustang Challenge arrives in Monterrey as a whole new kind of Mustang success story.

With strong fields of equal cars, Mustang Challenge is some of the closest racing out there. 2009 marks the second season of competition for the Mustang Challenge, which was formed in collaboration between Miller Motorsports Park and Ford Racing and is the only national race series operated by a track. The series visit to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is one that several in the Mustang Challenge paddock have been looking forward to as the series grows from an 8-race championship in 2008 to a 10-round battle in 2009.

The last chapter of the championship battle saw 2008 Mustang Challenge Champion Andrew Caddell take his second win of the 2009 season at New Jersey Motorsports as the Mustang Challenge field staged a thrilling race in the series' first-ever rain race. Ted Anthony, who had won 4 of the previous 5 Mustang Challenge races heading to New Jersey, is now 31 points adrift of Caddell. While he is looking forward to making up some ground in the championship battle this weekend as the series makes a debut on the iconic circuit, Anthony Jr. will have to be thinking about Caddell's renewed confidence following his tremendous run in the rain in New Jersey.

"I think we have got this car finally handling the way I like it, and I think we should be good to go for the rest of the season," said Caddell who has previous racing experience at Laguna in MX-5 competition. "I can't wait for the race at Laguna, and it's great to get the chance to race on a track like that in these Mustangs."

The Verizon Festival Of Speed event will see the Mustang Challenge once again compete as part of the Grand-Am race weekend, with a Friday morning practice session kicking off the official weekend, qualifying to set the grid on Saturday, and then round 6 of the 10-race championship slated for a 10:00 AM local start time.

Friday, May 15
11:55 AM 12:25 PM Practice -- Ford Racing Mustang Challenge
4:20 PM 4:55 PM Practice -- Ford Racing Mustang Challenge

Saturday, May 16
8:40 AM --9:00 AM Qualifying -- Ford Racing Mustang Challenge

Sunday, May 17
8:30 AM 8:50 AM Warm-up -- Ford Racing Mustang Challenge
10:00 AM 11:00 AM START -- Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Race

-credit: www.mustangchallenge.com