Ford is set to drive the 2011 Mustang V-6 on a 1,000-Lap Challenge around Bristol Motor Speedway on one tank of gas on June 23rd. You might remember Ford did something similar last year with the 201o Fusion Hybrid with Carl Edwards where it went 1,445 miles on a single tank of gas. This time Ford is using the new 2011 Mustangs 3.7-liter V-6 that gets 19 mpg city and 31 mpg highway to try and drive over 500 miles. It was this fuel economy rating given by the EPA that earned the 2011 Mustang V-6 the honor of being the first car ever to achieve 30 plus mpg and 300 plus horsepower.
To achieve the 1,000 laps at Bristol a team of Ford engineers and celebrities will drive the 2011 Mustang V-6 around the half-mile NASCAR track hoping to break the 500 mile mark. This feat will be possible as the Mustangs fuel capacity is 16 gallons and some change.
Ford is also getting fans involved by allowing them to enter the 1,000-Lap Challenge by guessing the number of laps the 2011 Mustang V-6 will make around the track. You can enter your guess at www.Mustang1000LapChallenge.com from now until June 23rd. One winner will be randomly selected from those who guess the correct amount of laps and be given a 2011 Mustang V-6 as a prize.
Read more about the 1,000-Lap Challenge in the press release below.
Press Release:
Since first coming off the assembly line 45 years ago, Mustang has always been known for its sheer power and speed. Now you can add another element to that reputation – best-in-class fuel economy.
One year after the Ford Fusion Hybrid, America’s most fuel-efficient mid-sized sedan, successfully eclipsed 1,000 miles on a single tank of gas, Ford will put its new 2011 Mustang V-6 on a similar quest as it attempts to run 1,000 laps on a single tank of gas at Bristol Motor Speedway on June 23, and they’re inviting consumers to be involved.
A team of Ford engineers and celebrities will attempt to prove Mustang’s ranking as the most fuel-efficient pony car to date by circling the half-mile NASCAR bullring at least 1,000 times – more than 500 miles – and highlight the 3.7L V-6 model’s best-in-class 31 mpg.
Fans can be involved in the Mustang 1,000-Lap Challenge by entering a national sweepstakes in which they will guess the total number of complete laps that Mustang will complete during the Challenge. Ford has designed a specific website for fans, who can register their guess at www.Mustang1000LapChallenge.com between March 21 and June 23, 2010.
The grand prize winner will be randomly selected from all those who correctly guess the number of laps completed during the Challenge and will take home a 2011 Mustang V-6 coupe.
“We all know how much fun it is to drive Mustang, but in today’s market it’s also about fuel economy,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North America Motorsports. “By going 1,000 laps or more on one of NASCAR’s most popular tracks, we expect to show that when it comes to Mustang, you can be mean and green.”
The Mustang 1,000-Lap Challenge will begin the morning of Wednesday, June 23 with a team of Ford test drivers continuously circling the track billed as “the world’s fastest half-mile” until the vehicle runs out of fuel with a goal of surpassing 1,000-lap mark.
“To go at least 1,000 laps at Bristol means we’ll be going twice as far as the NASCAR drivers do during their races, and we’ll be doing it without a pit stop,” said Fritz Wilke, Mustang Brand Manager.
The V-6 Mustang will be no stranger to Bristol by then, having been selected to serve as pace car for this weekend’s Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.
This event is a follow-up to last year’s challenge in which Ford NASCAR driver Carl Edwards participated in driving the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid a total of 1,445 miles (an average of 81.5 mpg) on a single tank of gas around Washington, D.C.
