Ford debuts new engine

October 23, 11:35 AMLouisville NASCAR ExaminerAmanda Vincent

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No. 17 car of Roush Fenway Racing and driven by Matt Kenseth

NASCAR Media

Ford Racing announced Friday morning that its FR9 engine will make its debut at Talladega Superspeedway under the the hoods of the cars Roush Fenway Racing drivers Matt Kenseth and David Ragan.

According to Ford, the FR9 is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine that Ford Motor Company has ever built. The engine currently in use is a production-based 351. No components from the current engine will carry over to the new engine. The induction exhaust, valve train, cooling system, lubrication, and sealing systems have all been improved by the new engine.

"We expect the castings to be more durable," Jack Roush said. "We expect the valve seat life and the piston life to be improved, and we expect a better result from the drive train."

While the restricted version of the FR9 will debut with the running of the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Nov. 1, the debut date of the unrestricted version is yet to be decided.

Development of the new engine has been lead by NASCAR engine builder Doug Yates and Ford Racing engineer David Simon.

"The potential of this engine going forward is far above the current engine, which is towards the end of its development curve," Simon said. "Another improvement with the FR9 is it has been designed to improve manufacturability and serviceability, offering the engine builders savings in labor and cost."

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