“2. The B-2-C. (Business-to-consumer.) In NHRA, not only does the fan have unprecedented access to the teams, the sponsors have unprecedented access to the fans. Our midway display is at ten of the twenty-four races. We have some dynamic, interactive holeshot contests, pit crew challenges, spin the wheel to win prizes. At the same time, we’re gathering customers’ information that we can use as an important part of our marketing when we leave the racetrack.

“3. The race car. I grew up around Tony Pedregon and John Force, so I’ve been exposed to amazing people who’ve built amazing race teams, but it’s not instant pudding. Not even John can guarantee a championship any more. It takes time. It takes chemistry. We started in November ’07 with nothing. We didn’t have a car, a part, an employee. Last year was exceptional based on those facts. This year is different because we have Tim Wilkerson alongside us (tuning alliance but separate ownership). This is a five-year plan. It requires that kind of investment.”

Q. How involved are you in the details of sponsor activation?

A. “I’m a hands-on guy and I don’t think there’s a facet of the program I haven’t had a fingerprint on. At the end of the day, the greatest gift you can give anyone is to believe in them, and Ford believed in me. The credibility of me as a driver, talking not only to the fans, but to the dealers, is unparalleled. I was very aware that every detail, every image, every graphic, handout, the success of this program rides on the B-2-B and B-2-C.”

Q. Even with your family’s history with Ford, isn’t it difficult to explain any American automaker’s investment in racing?

A. “You can look at this market (economy) in two ways: You can throw the towel in and go home or you can fight the fight. Ford Motor Co. and the dealer body are going to fight the fight.

“Then you can take a step back and say, ‘Every dollar that we spend is under a magnifying glass.’ You can’t not market, because that would mean you threw in the towel. When you make that decision, you say, ‘OK, where are we going to spend our money?’ When you look at what we have with the NHRA fan, this is one of the more unique opportunities for certain sponsors. It’s not a platform for all Madison Ave. companies. But for Motorcraft, Ford and Quick Lane, what better demographic than the NHRA fan? American and brand loyal.

“I tell people, ‘Don’t take my word for it. Just get out and drive a Ford.’ This is our customer base. The dealers and executives come and look at those stands, and see the demographics, it’s a no-brainer. These are our people. Before we start worrying about BMW and Lexus, let’s keep our people, not lose our customer base.”

Q. How is business at your dealerships?

A. “We’ve learned to adapt. If you don’t, you won’t be in business 65 years. We have channeled our resources on fixed operations. Our service business has never been better. We’ve almost doubled our used-car volume. At the same time, we’re holding our own on the new-car showroom. It’s survival and getting your expenses in line.

“I don’t think it’s as bad, on the showroom floor, talking to customers, as the press makes it out to be. I feel passionately about this, that 92 percent of the people are current on their mortgages. (Remember, we talked in February.) But the other eight percent is getting 92 percent of the coverage and that affects the psyche of the people. That will be the hurdle -- Getting consumer confidence back.”