NASCAR Sprint Cup 2009

[Birdman]

Thought I'd start a NASCAR thread since the 2009 season is about to begin


Here's an article in about Fords new Fr9 Engine

Ford Unveils New FR9 Engine




Ford and Roush Yates Engines already enjoy a reputation for producing some of the best power and reliability in the sport, but its latest NASCAR-approved engine has raised expectations to an even higher level for 2009.

2009 Ford Racing NASCAR Engine
• The engine is an all-new, clean sheet of paper design.
• There are no carryover parts from the current engine.
• Then engine meets all of the new NASCAR engine rules, most notable being the 4.500” bore spacing (new for Ford since we’ve been running 4.380” since the mid-70s).
• It is a purpose-built racing engine. It does not retain any of the original production 351 dimensions, as the current engine does.

Code-named FR9, this new piece is the first purpose-built NASCAR racing engine to ever come out of Ford Motor Company. Its design has been spearheaded and developed by Ford Racing engineer David Simon, and famed engine builder Doug Yates, along with input from legendary Ford Racing engine engineer Mose Nowland.

“This is an exciting time for us to say the least, especially with the way our two companies have worked so well together on this project,” said Yates. “I’ve never had the opportunity to work on a NASCAR engine with a clean sheet of paper, but that’s basically what we’ve done and I’ve enjoyed every second. We feel we’ve got a piece that will not only be better than what we’ve got now, but will give us room to grow.

“With the exception of a few cylinder head changes through the years, we’ve had the same engine since 1991 and have been able to squeeze out every ounce of power and speed possible,” continued Yates. “What’s got me so excited is we’ve won races and championships with an engine many consider old, and this new piece is definitely a notch above, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to for years to come.”

There are three key differences between FR9 and the current engine. First, the cooling system has been re-worked and will allow teams to optimize the amount of tape they can put on the front grille and improve downforce. Second, the valve train has been improved, and, third, the production and assembly of FR9 will be much easier than today’s model.

Another thing is for certain, this isn’t your father’s 351 because FR9 does not retain any of the original production 351 dimensions as the current model.

“Our main priority when we started this project was to get the bones of the engine right. We wanted to make sure we had the proper layout, the right block structure and that the overall skeleton of the engine was correct,” said Simon. “Even though we’ve been working on these engines for decades and know a lot of things about them, there was still a lot we didn’t know. In that case, we went and did some testing to get the answer.”

That data driven philosophy for designing the engine was crucial for building an engine that would not only be reliable and efficient, but powerful as well.

“It was a completely different mindset and approach to making power,” recalled Simon. “We did not finalize any part of the engine until we acquired the data that told us what was going to be our optimum setting or optimum dimension. The key to all of this in the first phase of our development was to produce as much power through the design of the engine as possible and to make sure we had the very best layout, the very best dimension, and the very best combination of dimensions that we could within the framework of the rules.”

Since taking over as Ford Director of North America Motorsports in August, Brian Wolfe has had to learn a lot in a short amount of time, but he’s been impressed with how well FR9 has developed.

“Before taking over this job, I worked in powertrain development at Ford for 26 years, and it’s always great to see a new product,” said Wolfe. “To see the way everyone has worked together on this project is extremely gratifying and I know when FR9 is ready for the race track, we’re going to be spending a lot of time in victory lane.”

Just when FR9 is ready for competition remains to be seen, but a tentative target date is the second-half of the 2009 season.

“We’re not going to rush this engine into competition until we’re 100 percent sure it’s going to meet our strict standards,” said Yates. “We don’t feel a need to rush because our current engine is still strong and that gives us the luxury to take our time and make sure we do FR9 right. I know we’ve got a winner here, and I can’t wait to see it on the track.”

2009 FORD RACING NASCAR ENGINE

Design Process
• The engine design was evaluated on a system by system basis.
· Systems that are critical to performance were studied to identify optimums.
· We used a data-driven process meaning if the data didn’t exist to make an educated decision, We tested the part or system until we had the information we needed.
• Multiple engine design iterations were actually built and tested before the final design was chosen.

Engine Features
• Induction and exhaust systems are an evolution of our current ones providing increased performance potential.
• The cooling system is all-new resulting in more efficient cooling of the heads and block.
• The lubrication system is all-new which allows us to meter the oil supply to every part of the engine.
• The block and head structures are all-new resulting in stronger, lighter components.

Performance Metrics• Power: The initial power has surpassed our expectations. For an all-new engine, very early in its development, the power has been excellent.
• Durability: There is still a lot of testing to be done, but after thousands of dyno miles, the durability has been perfect so far.

Testing and Development
• Extensive dyno testing has been conducted since early ’08—thousands of dyno miles have been logged including performance and durability testing.
• The first track test was in November at Rockingham. The engine ran fine without any issues.

Installation in the Cars
• The engine requires new engine mounts and changes to the chassis to accommodate the new mounts.
• We’ve worked with the race teams to identify all of the concerns and design issues. Everything has been sorted out to make the new engine work in the current cars.

Engine Introduction
• We are planning on a mid-season introduction

SOURCES:

RacingOne - Nascar Racing: Auto Racing, Nascar News, Racing News, Nascar Online, Nascar 2008, Nascar Drivers, Nascar, Racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson


Ford Racing and Roush Yates Engines will debut the new “FR9″ engine during the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. - Automobiles Review

[HSURB]

I want one of those.

HSURB®

[gr8snkbite]

nice engine, like those valve covers...think thats the first time i've ever seen Roush w/o his hat...

[65SC]

nice find, thanks for the link

[King Cobra]

Noticed that the 2010 GT500 is the pace car at Daytona this year. Saw it pacing the ARCA race yesterday. Grabber Blue.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by King Cobra

Noticed that the 2010 GT500 is the pace car at Daytona this year. Saw it pacing the ARCA race yesterday. Grabber Blue.

Yeah I saw that too . Wish they showed it close up though.

[VaporDude]

Originally Posted by King Cobra

Noticed that the 2010 GT500 is the pace car at Daytona this year. Saw it pacing the ARCA race yesterday. Grabber Blue.

Originally Posted by Birdman

Yeah I saw that too . Wish they showed it close up though.

I seen that too, it looked really nice from a distance. I had to look twice to make sure it was 2010 model but when I seen the heat extractors I knew.

[68fastback]

...sure would like to look inside that engine :drop: ...fat chance, but sure would be nice (even if it is pushrods -lol).

Ford released extensive interview conversations with the Ford NASCAR drivers, etc, about the upcoming season but there were zero tech tidbits so I didn't post anything.

If that's of interest, I can post them.

[tekheavy]

Kevin Costner's new NASCAR video!!

YouTube - Kevin Costner & Modern West - Backyard

Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!! nm!!

[CH53Driver]

It would be cool to go the Daytona 500 this year. I guess I will have to settle watching it on TV while Gr8snkbite swaps out my H/E.

[gr8snkbite]

Originally Posted by CH53Driver

It would be cool to go the Daytona 500 this year. I guess I will have to settle watching it on TV while Gr8snkbite swaps out my H/E.

if you think i'm workin on ANYTHING during Daytona..your sadly mistaken...

my buddy texted me as well, saying they were selling tickets at $55 for it..

[68fastback]

That intake is awesome!

Curious, all those tubes on the left hand side of the oil pan. They have to pickups to the externally-driven multi-stage pumps they're connected to (or so it would seem). If so, they're on the wrong side of the engine for NASCAR cup cars (counterclockwise) but on the *right* side of the engine for TransAm/road-course cars ...strange, huh? Maybe some 'other' testing has been going down in the clockwise direction? ;-)

[CH53Driver]

I love the valve covers by the way. I wonder what kind of power she's throwing down?

[JTB]

Unbelievable that Nascar still uses Carbs and why is their Premier Event the first race of the year?


That said it is the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Daytona which was the first race televised from start to finish by CBS and then finished with the famous fight in the in field and was the race that King Petty had no business winning.

This race put Nascar on the map and established it as a major Brand that has endured for decades.

Love it when Nascar had cars that were still based on ("Stock Cars") REAL cars though as opposed to the nonsense now.

Remember when it was called STOCK CAR RACING.

Actually Nascar race cars were faster 15 years ago than they are now, just ask Bill Elliot.

Wassup with that?

[gr8snkbite]

lets all say it together..."we hate restrictor plate racing".....

[68fastback]

Originally Posted by CH53Driver

I love the valve covers by the way. I wonder what kind of power she's throwing down?

Yeah, the rockers must be set down low.

I believe in 2003 they were making about 780 and now the best of the 2008 teams are making in the vicinity of 860-875? So if the FR9 is already overachieving at this point in it's development it would seem it may be appraoching 900HP or more? But that doesn't mean Ford will play all those cards because the nutty thing about NASCAR, of course, is if you legitimately find a way to overachieve within all the engine rules and start winning "too much" they just slap you down with a bigger handicap -- pure NASCAR insanity.

So maybe Ford now gets to play a season or two of the bow-tie sandbagging of recent years just turning up the wick only a bit until late in the [next] season so NASCAR can't soon unleash it's demented roundy-round version of Obama restrictor-plate socialism ...you know, spread the HP advantage around

[Dad's72Mach]

Originally Posted by gr8snkbite

lets all say it together..."we hate restrictor plate racing".....

AMEN! Why don't they just make them wear dresses and bake cookies on the engine while they are at it.

[68fastback]

Originally Posted by Dad's72Mach

AMEN! Why don't they just make them wear dresses and bake cookies on the engine while they are at it.

(another nomination for quote of the week!)

[68fastback]

Originally Posted by JTB Consulting

Unbelievable that Nascar still uses Carbs and why is their Premier Event the first race of the year?


That said it is the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Daytona which was the first race televised from start to finish by CBS and then finished with the famous fight in the in field and was the race that King Petty had no business winning.

This race put Nascar on the map and established it as a major Brand that has endured for decades.

Love it when Nascar had cars that were still based on ("Stock Cars") REAL cars though as opposed to the nonsense now.

Remember when it was called STOCK CAR RACING.

Actually Nascar race cars were faster 15 years ago than they are now, just ask Bill Elliot.

Wassup with that?

A couple years ago RYR did some experimental development on a modular-based NASCAR mill and robert Yates reportedly told Ford that based on their testing it was capable of replacing the pushrod and carb'd dinosaurs we now run (that's almost a direct quote, as I recall).

Lemme see if I can find the pics of the beautiful beastie... I have another pic that's a side view showing the external-driven multi-stage oil pumps but can't seem to find it. The engine was rumored to be producting in excess of 850HP (2006); the valve springs were an RYR-secret alloy capable of .670" lift on the DOHC heads at close to 10K rpm. I recall that they were amazed that the 'skinny' bearings on the narrow bore-spaced modular were holding up just fine in extended torture testing. (subsequently I heard at BOF that engineering believed they were good to 1200HP or thereabouts) NASCAR was interested but not receptive (lol) -- sort of like the 60s ...I guess Ford feels compelled to try a new Cammer on on the NASCAR board-of-Neanderthals every 40 years or so

[edit:]
btw, notice the casting pattern on the port bottoms on those unmachined heads ...Teksid, not Ford Windsor castings, I beleive ...when only the best will do.

[CH53Driver]

Originally Posted by gr8snkbite

lets all say it together..."we hate restrictor plate racing".....

we hate restrictor plate racing...we hate restrictor plate racing...we hate restrictor plate racing...we hate restrictor plate racing...we hate restrictor plate racing...we hate restrictor plate racing...we hate restrictor plate racing...we hate restrictor plate racing...