Dover International Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway officials have announced that Ford will be the official pace car provider for both tracks in 2021, including for Dover’s “Drydene 400” NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, May 14 and Nashville’s inaugural "Ally 400" NASCAR Cup Series race on Father‘s Day — Sunday, June 20.
The announcement was made during last week‘s Goodyear Tire Test at Nashville Superspeedway. Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, was one of three NASCAR Cup Series stars to participate in the test.
“It‘s cool that they‘re on board here at Nashville and for them to start this track off as a Ford-branded track,” said Briscoe, a contender for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honor. “It‘s cool whenever we go to a Ford track. The pace car is a Ford and there‘s Ford signage everywhere and it feels like you‘re more at home.”
The June 18-20 NASCAR tripleheader weekend also includes the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, June 19 (2:30 p.m. CT, NBCSN) and the “Rackley Roofing 200” NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, June 18 (7 p.m. CT, FS1).
“It‘s an honor to be linked with such an iconic company as Ford as we continue to build toward our June race weekend,” said Nashville Superspeedway president Erik Moses. “Ford has a tremendous motorsports history and is a brand that connects with our fanbase here in Middle Tennessee. We can‘t wait to see a Ford lead America‘s best drivers to the green flag at Nashville Superspeedway on Father‘s Day weekend!”
Ford earned its 17th NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championship, and second in the last three seasons, after winning 18 races in 2020 while Austin Cindric captured the regular season and playoff championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“It‘s great to have Nashville Superspeedway back in NASCAR and we‘re excited to serve as its official pace car,” said Jeannee Kirkaldy, Ford Performance‘s motorsports marketing manager. “We have a wonderful partnership with Dover Motorsports and we‘re ready to continue to play an integral role in their race weekends at Nashville and Dover. We have several exciting new vehicles in our Ford lineup and we‘re looking forward to showcasing them at the track.”
