2010 Hurst Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Pace Car to DEBUT at Virginia international raceway on april 25
Highly Collectible Pace Car to Benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer
Irvine, Calif. (April 20, 2010) – Hurst Performance Vehicles, a company responsible for some of the most iconic pace cars in racing history, will once again debut a special-edition Mustang built to serve as the official pace car for the 2010 Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series.
The 2010 Hurst Mustang pace car will debut during the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge race at Virginia International Raceway on April 25, 2010.
After its run with the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge, this unique and highly-collectible Pace Car will make special appearances at the Hot Rod Power Tour, at numerous Larry H. Miller dealerships across the country and even at SEMA, before being auctioned for charity in January 2011. Proceeds of the auction will benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, formed to support research towards the diagnosis, treatment and development of a cure for pediatric cancer, and to provide support and hope to children and families undergoing treatment, as well as those who have lost children due to cancer. Through Hatch’s house of hope, the Austin Hatcher Foundation provides a landmark group of educational, emotional and social skills development programs essential to help cancer stricken children and their families succeed within their community.
Additionally, the 2010 Hurst pace car’s paint scheme and likeness will be used to create promotional items sold by the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series at various race events and online, including a run of limited edition replica skins for their Miller Cup Pinewood Car kits. As one of several ongoing initiatives to support the Austin Hatcher Foundation, Mustang Challenge has integrated a fund-raising Miller Cup Pinewood Derby car race into the season-ending championship banquet at Miller Motorsports Park.
Larry H. Miller Dealership Group has confirmed that it will partner with Hurst Performance to donate the vehicle for this project. Other partners of the project include Whelen Engineering, Ford Racing, BFGoodrich Tires. Motorsports artist and Roger Warrick will create original art for promotional items.
“Hurst has a history of creating unique, high-quality, emotionally-charged muscle cars and the 2010 Hurst Ford Racing Mustang Challenge pace car is no different,” said Nate Shelton, Chairman of Hurst Performance Vehicles. “We are so proud to have yet another opportunity to set the pace for others to follow and give something back to a deserving organization.”
The stunning Hurst Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Pace Car comes equipped with 20″ BFGoodrich g-Force™ T/A®KDW tires for maximum performance and attitude, 20″ Hurst polished, forged aluminum wheels and a Hurst Competition/Plus shifter with a black T-handle.
The engine pounds out 550-horsepower, or nearly 200-horsepower more than the FR500S race Mustangs, and 542 lb.-ft of torque, courtesy of the Ford Racing polished supercharger, Ford Racing FR500S stainless-steel cat-back exhaust and K&N filter. With its race bred Ford Racing suspension, this car is sure to keep people straining just to see it zoom by. And to stop all this power, the car is equipped with an upgraded braking system featuring 14″ rotors and 4-piston calipers, also from Ford Racing.
“The Austin Hatcher Foundation is proud to be partnering with Hurst Performance, the Larry H. Miller Dealership Group, Whelen Engineering, BFGoodrich Tires, Ford Racing and the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Series to sponsor the 2010 Hurst Ford Racing Mustang Challenge Pace Car,” said Jim Osborn MD, Chairman of the Austin Hatcher Foundation. “The Foundation’s focus is on empowering families faced with pediatric cancer to thrive, and we hope to bring excitement to these families through Hurst’s history of unique muscle cars.”
Other signature Hurst details include a traditional Hurst black on gold paint scheme, a Hurst leather interior with contrast top-stitching and embroidered logos, Hurst-logoed floor mats and a Hurst AIR-SPEED rear deck spoiler.
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About Hurst Performance
Founded in 1958, Hurst Performance is one of the most recognized and revered names in the automotive performance arena. The Hurst brand has long been synonymous with speed, performance and quality, with an impressive track-record of pioneering high performance products and vehicles for all forms of motorsports and hot-rodding. Hurst was one of the first specialty companies to partner with the OEMs and bring enthusiasts limited edition performance vehicles like the legendary Hurst/Olds 442. For more information please visit www.hurst-performance.com.
About Ford Racing Mustang Challenge
The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge is a new professional racing series co-developed by Ford Racing and Miller Motorsports Park. Utilizing the new Ford Mustang FR500S and sanctioned by the Grand-Am Road Racing, Mustang Challenge is a support series to major professional road racing events across North America. Mustang Challenge is an affordable, challenging platform for racers who want to compete in a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive car on a level playing field that showcases driver ability in high-profile events. A competitive point structure and generous purses make the Mustang Challenge The Place to Race!
About BFGoodrich Tires
Using motorsports as a proving ground for more than 35 years, BFGoodrich® Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, sports car, drifting, drag, desert, dirt, rally, and extreme rock crawling. BFGoodrich Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at www.BFGoodrichTires.com. In 2009, BFGoodrich Tires developed a gathering place for auto enthusiasts to celebrate the thrill of GO through an online community. Nation of GO is an online community where people with a passion for driving can celebrate and share what they love to do best at www.NationofGo.com.
About The Larry H. Miller Dealership Group
What Larry H. Miller Founded in May of 1979 with one Toyota dealership has now grown into the nations tenth largest automotive dealership group. Located throughout seven western states from; Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. Comprised of 38 locations representing 19 brands, from Toyota to Mercedes-Benz. Visit The Larry H. Miller group at www.LHM.com or www.drivenbyyou.com
About Whelen Engineering
Whelen Engineering Inc. was founded in 1952 by George W. Whelen III with the development of a rotating aircraft “anti-collision beacon” product that quickly found use with police, fire and public safety departments across the country and around the world. Whelen is now the world’s largest designer and manufacturer of emergency visual and audible warning products. Whelen is the only United States manufacturer of emergency warning equipment that continues to design and manufacture all of its products entirely in the United States. Whelen is the entitlement sponsor of three NASCAR grass-roots racing series and is the major corporate sponsor of the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, Inc., the designer and supplier of bobsleds to the USA Bobsled Team, including the “Night Train” four-man bobsled that won the Olympic Gold Medal at the Vancouver Olympics. Located in Chester, CT, Whelen Engineering is owned by George W. “Sonny” Whelen IV, son of the company’s founder. The company’s website is www.whelen.com.
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer was formed in 2006 after Amy Jo and Jim Osborn lost their infant son Hatch to a rare form of pediatric cancer. The foundation’s mission is to support research towards the diagnosis, treatment and development of a cure for pediatric cancer, and to provide support and hope to children and families undergoing treatment, as well as those who have lost children due to cancer. The foundation has developed a landmark group of programs and services essential to help cancer stricken children and their families succeed within their community. All services provided by the Foundation are free of charge, funded solely by the generous donations of its supporters.
Hatch’s house of hope is a unique Austin Hatcher Foundation concept designed to empower children and families affected by pediatric cancer to thrive. The landmark cancer care center equips children and their family members with the educational, emotional and social skills necessary to succeed. Specifically, these services include Problem Solving Skills Training, neurocognitive testing, educational programming to help effected children overcome their cognitive and learning deficits, emotional counseling for the cancer affected child, their siblings and parents, and marital and financial counseling to ensure a safe environment to maximize the family growth as a whole. All services at Hatch’s are free to its guests, funded entirely by donations. Erlanger Medical Mall in Chattanooga, TN, is the site of the first Hatch’s house of hope, which opened September 18, 2009. This Hatch’s is the model for other Hatch’s in the planning stages nationwide. For more information, visit www.hatcherfoundation.org or www.hatcherfoundation.org