Unlikely Pacer: Ford Fiesta to lead the field at CarFax 400

[wickedstangs]

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/motorsports/" rel="tag">Motorsports</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Budget</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sedans/" rel="tag">Sedan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-fiesta-pace-car/"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" alt="" class="right border" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/04-pace-250.jpg" /></a>Sure enough, the upcoming <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/10/toyota-scores-first-official-nascar-sprint-cup-win/">Sprint Cup</a> Carfax 400 will be paced by none other than the Blue Oval's tiny 2011 <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/fiesta">Fiesta</a> Sedan. With less than a third of the displacement of the tube-frame beasts lapping Michigan International Speedway, we wouldn't quite expect lightning-quick pace laps, but hey - safety first. While pace cars are typically some sort of performance product, manufacturers aren't past parading less than muscular new hardware in front of the captive audiences of the raceway.<br />
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If <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/">Ford</a> was looking for a way to bring its marketing for the Fiesta out of the social media realm and into a more mainstream American venue, they could have hardly done better than the Sprint Cup. On average, the series races net 7.9 million viewers. On Sunday, August 15, each and every one of those souls will get to watch a maroon four door fiesta lead the pack, complete with a massive Blue Oval decal down the side. Talk about cheap advertising. Check out the gallery for a few shots from the car's unveiling.<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-fiesta-pace-car">Ford Fiesta Pace Car</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-fiesta-pace-car/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/04-pace_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-fiesta-pace-car/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/01-pace_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-fiesta-pace-car/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/02-pace_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-fiesta-pace-car/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/05-pace_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/ford-fiesta-pace-car/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/06-pace_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
[Source: Ford Racing via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=188253&id=44789073819&l=0f610bdd19">Facebook</a>]<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/29/unlikely-pacer-ford-fiesta-to-lead-the-field-at-carfax-400/">Unlikely Pacer: Ford Fiesta to lead the field at CarFax 400</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/29/unlikely-pacer-ford-fiesta-to-lead-the-field-at-carfax-400/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19573208/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/29/unlikely-pacer-ford-fiesta-to-lead-the-field-at-carfax-400/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>


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