John Force Racing, Inc. and Chevrolet announced they will join forces to back the 18-time NHRA Funny Car championship team starting with the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. The multi-year agreement will see all three John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro Funny Cars adorned with the iconic gold bow tie as well as the JFR Top Fuel dragster.

“John Force is a champion and a legend both on and off the track, as a driver and as a team owner,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet vice president for performance vehicles and motorsports. “John Force is a racer’s racer and a fierce competitor, and we are excited to welcome John and his team back to Chevrolet.”

The first 60 starts of John Force’s illustrious career were behind the wheel of a Chevrolet product. From 1978-80 he raced a Corvette before switching to a Citation (1981-82), Camaro (1983-84), Corvette (1985), and then a Cavalier (1986). Force won the 1994 NHRA Funny Car Championship racing a Chevy Lumina to a 50-8 record, 11 finals, 10 wins and 12 No. 1 qualifiers.

“It is great to be back with Chevrolet,” said Force, CEO of John Force Racing and 16-time Funny Car champion. “I started my career in a Chevy and my plan is to keep racing with them for many years to come. This is a great American company and we are excited about the opportunities in front of us.

“I won my first round of racing, went to my first final and got my first number one in a Chevy,” he said. “Since then I have won more rounds, races and championships than anyone in the sport. I have the record for most number one qualifiers too, and I can’t wait to get to the Winternationals and start adding to those records in a brand-new Chevy.”

---

Speedway Motors is building on the success of the new SCCA Classic American Muscle (CAM) class to introduce the 2015 Speedway Motors CAM Challenge. It will consist of three autocross events across the country, kicking off with a western regional event, March 6-8, at Crows Landing near San Francisco. This will be followed by an eastern regional, August 7-9, at Grissom Air Force Base near Indianapolis, and then the Invitational Championship event, September 4-6, at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Each CAM Challenge event will run the three SCCA CAM classes, with the first two events using the SCCA Match Tour format to determine class winners and an overall winner. The top two drivers in each class at the regional events will earn invitations to the Championship in Lincoln, which will use the SCCA Pro-Solo format to determine class and overall champions. The top finishing CAM-T or CAM-S drivers at each of the three events will get invitations to compete at the Goodguys AutoCross Finals, November 20-21, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The SCCA CAM classes are designed for both traditional and contemporary American muscle car sedans and coupes with front-engine, rear-wheel-drive configurations, along with classic American sports cars from the ’60s and ’70s. Cars must be street legal, licensed and insured, have interiors and use 200 tread wear street tires. There are no restrictions on engines and drivetrains.

“We are pleased that Speedway Motors has decided to create the CAM Challenge specifically designed for muscle cars and that these exciting events will be powered by the SCCA’s rules and administration,” said Raleigh Boreen, SCCA regional development manager. “SCCA also provides CAM enthusiasts opportunities to autocross locally at over 1,000 Solo events nationwide.”

Speedway Motors President Clay Smith echoed Boreen’s enthusiasm. “It’s exciting for Speedway Motors to present the 2015 CAM Challenge,” Smith said. “These events align perfectly with Speedway’s longtime commitment to racing safety, our involvement in autocross competition and our expanding line of muscle car performance parts. We look forward to working with SCCA to stage this focused series of special events.”

---

Arriving later this year, the newly designed and engineered Shelby GT350R will deliver never-before-seen track capability from a Mustang, thanks to innovations in aerodynamics, chassis engineering and weight reduction.

“The Shelby GT350R Mustang is a no-compromise car in the pursuit of maximum track capability,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, global product development.

The car features the first-ever production V-8 from Ford with a flat-plane crankshaft—the most powerful naturally aspirated engine Ford has ever produced—plus a specially tuned suspension. It’s fitted with revised spring rates and antiroll bars, lower ride height, unique track-tuned alignment settings, revised bushings and jounce bumpers, cross-axis ball joints in the front suspension, and revised calibration controlling the MagneRide dampers. “The Shelby GT350R Mustang is a car with the nimbleness and power delivery you want on a road course,” said Nair. “This isn’t just about horsepower. The Shelby GT350R is an all-around balanced athlete, one that is extraordinarily precise and agile.”

---

The all-new Ford GT, a technology showcase for top EcoBoost performance, aerodynamics and lightweight carbon fiber construction, earned the prestigious EyesOn Design Award for best production vehicle.

The ultra-high-performance supercar was unveiled at the 2015 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). EyesOn Design, the official design awards for NAIAS, honors the best production and concept vehicles making global debuts in Detroit. Judges include current and former design leaders from global automakers and transportation departments at top art schools.

“Ford and its employees are honored to receive this recognition,” said Moray Callum, Ford Motor Company vice president, design. “The great thing about the all-new Ford GT is that we were able to maintain the essence of the original GT40, while making it into a 21st century car. The GT’s cutting-edge technology and engineering demonstrate Ford’s commitment to performance and innovation in every aspect of our business.”

A next-generation, 600-plus-horsepower, twin-turbocharged, EcoBoost V-6 engine demonstrates remarkable efficiency, a key attribute of its endurance racing-derived powertrain. The engine is mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch transaxle that provides for near instantaneous gear changes and exceptional driver control.

---

Mopar showcased a trio of customized vehicles at NAIAS to help owners personalize their rides—a pair of Mopar-equipped Jeep Renegade vehicles and a Dodge Challenger T/A Concept vehicle.

“Customers can pull from our portfolio of Mopar products to augment the versatility and capability of the all-new Jeep Renegade,” said Pietro Gorlier, president and CEO of Mopar, “as shown with two Mopar-equipped Renegade vehicles, or to beef up the muscle of the Dodge Challenger while adding a vintage feel, as demonstrated by the Dodge Challenge T/A Concept.”

The off-road Mopar-equipped Jeep Renegade is a triple threat; the small SUV arrives already fortified to stay true to the adventurous lifestyle and 4×4 capability for which the Jeep brand is known, is further geared to meet the demands of off-roading as a Trailhawk model and gets even more distinctive personality thanks to Jeep Performance Parts and prototype parts.

The urban Mopar-equipped Jeep Renegade uses a selection of Jeep Authentic Accessories to elevate the fresh styling and energetic appearance of the newest entry to the Jeep brand lineup, creating the perfect street vehicle for youthful city and suburban dwellers who also desire 4×4 capability for when maps end but the trails continue.

The Dodge Challenger T/A Concept, which debuted at the 2014 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas last November, is a Sublime Green example that the big gun in the Dodge brand’s muscle-car arsenal hasn’t forgotten its roots.

A modern interpretation of the legendary T/A package available in the ’70s for the Challenger, the Dodge Challenger T/A Concept draws on heritage-inspired cues, but also calls on present-day performance modifications and new prototype products designed with an eye toward the future.

---