New Ford boss bullish on rebound

Jamie Allison lunged into big-time stock car racing with the zeal of a young fan. He leaned, actually, but it felt like a lunge.

Twenty-two years after that young Ford engineer lined up behind 1988 Sprint Cup champion Bill Elliott for a perfect photo bomb during a function at company headquarters, that shot sits in Allison's office. It serves as a daily reminder of why he wanted to work for a car company. And maybe why he took the job this offseason as Ford's new director of North American motorsports.

”I just loved cars and I went out to see Bill Elliott. That was a cherished moment,” Allison said, in his first interview as Ford's top racing executive for NASCAR. “It was something only a kid would do to be next to a hero of his.”

Allison eventually struck a more subdued pose for a photo with Elliott at a race with the Wood Brothers. A perk, for sure, but Allison's mandate is going to more about reclaiming glory for Ford than reclaiming his youth.

It will be no simple task. Ford scored the fewest wins (three) in 2009 and was next to last among the four Cup manufacturers in total points. It was Ford's lowest win total since 1982 (when it managed two) and eight less than in 2008. Not surprisingly, Ford led the fewest laps (1,018) of any manufacturer.

That's at least partly because, on average, eight Fords started Cup races last season, less than half the number of Chevrolets and Toyotas. Even Dodge, dogged by rumors that it will withdraw from NASCAR, averaged nine.

The numbers, at least, seem sure to improve in 2010. Richard Petty Motorsports' merger with Yates Racing yields four more cars, including those of former Chase qualifiers Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne. Front Row Motorsports is expected to add two more with Travis Kvapil and rookie Kevin Conway.

Elliott's limited schedule would occasionally add another, but the Wood team's relegation to part-time status is another symptom of tough times.

Ford's older guard, however, seems energized. And energized is not something veteran Greg Biffle of Roush Fenway Racing fakes easily.

“Well, certainly we've added a couple good-quality guys that won races last year (or) came close to winning races,” said Biffle, who finished seventh in points, down from third a year earlier. “So that's certainly going to help us, you know, help the Ford camp pick up some more wins.”

Although the teams are still operating from their own shops, Biffle said they have already “consolidated some technologies.”

The addition of Kahne, 29, who won six races in 2006 and two in each of the past two seasons, could more than offset Roush's compliance with NASCAR's four-car cap. The cap led to the decommissioning of the No. 26 team and departure of Jamie McMurray's for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

In essence, Roush Fenway will be working with three organizations and eight cars – more if engine deals and technical support are counted.

Those numbers could help in attacking Chevrolet's dominant status, assuming Roush Fenway can build on the late-season improvement Allison cites.

The organization had entered 2009 with great promise, specifically for 30-year-old Carl Edwards, who won nine races and finished second in points in 2008. But the Ford powerhouse claimed just three victories, none with Edwards. And Matt Kenseth to two of them early, but his campaign, too, flattened and he missed the Chase for the first time.

We asked Allison how he sets this thing right.

Q: How do you catch Chevrolet?

A: Last year was a difficult year. But the good news was at the end of the season the teams. On the Roush side we're starting to make some improvement and we're starting to see some top-five finishes. So I think we're starting to make some progress in terms of dialing down and making sure we had the right setup.

Now we have the addition of two great teams joining the Ford family and the interplay between the RPM team. And then there's Front Row Motorsports. We just added six cars. I think all that is very good news.

Q: What does RPM add in terms of performance and imagery with Richard Petty?

A: ... The spirit of what he brings, his iconic figure. We have a great stable addition to the Ford family. So, really it is very fortunate.

Q: What is it like working through Jack Roush?

A: One of the things that endears Jack to Ford is that Ford and Roush are about teamwork. As I talk with Jack, it's not about an individual or a single personality or what Jack did or didn't do. It's about the preparation and the excellence of an entire team.

So I think last year was one of those years. ... And what really determines what you do when the chips are all down – and I can tell you, and I have talked with Jack and some of the drivers and some of the crew chiefs – the determination, the pursuit for excellence are there.

And at the end of last year we started seeing improvement and getting back to top-five finishes. We believe we have identified what we need to do to get back to our winning ways.

It sounds a little cliché, but I am excited because of all the things we've discovered, frankly. Jack is a winner. He had one off year, and we will get back to winning.

Q: Are alliances becoming too prevalent throughout the sport, in terms of their potential negative impact on an entire manufacturer if they're down or suffer some sort of business catastrophe?

A: In the highest level of motorsports, like we have in NASCAR, cost becomes one of those determining factors in making sure this sport remains within the reach of the competitors, within the reach of the industry and making it affordable for our fans to enjoy. So I think on one end, when there are conglomerations going on, you see little cost efficiencies. And so it is a balance.

hat is the opportunity whereby that cost efficiency doesn't undermine the competitive spirit? That's what it's all about.

All motorsports is built on that, the ability to have multiple teams go out and compete with their own ingenuity and innovations. I personally think it is working its way out. Everything works its way out and it has a nice balance.

Some ... NASCAR has done a good job of making sure this thing is in check with the four-car (cap) the sport has set. I think it's a little bit of give and take. Right now it's in a stable position.