Amid distressing news of layoffs, buyouts and factory closings, the Ford brand also is taking hits at the racetrack these days. Even longtime Ford driver Mark Martin is ditching the Dearborn company to drive a Chevrolet in 2007.
That leaves the Ford teams in NASCAR -- already fewer than the dominating Chevrolet teams -- with precious few big names and lots of question marks just as yet another manufacturer, Toyota, is joining the competition for wins, championships -- and drivers.
"I know people are going to ask about Ford losing another marquee driver to a competitor," said Dan Davis, director of Ford Racing Technology. "All I can say is that every situation is different.
"We feel we support our teams as well as any other manufacturer and that our business model has worked as far as winning championships and being competitive. We don't like it when drivers leave, especially when they're the quality of Mark. But the climate of NASCAR is changing, and we've, unfortunately, felt the brunt of it this season."
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