Online Voting Begins for Ford Customer Service Division's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Car Design Contest To Support Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

DEARBORN, Mich., July 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

• Voting for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) design that will be featured on the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car begins Tuesday, July 6, and ends on September 3, a total of 60 days in honor of Wood Brothers Racing's 60-year anniversary of racing Ford products in NASCAR.

• The public is invited to visit www.jdrf.org/ford to make a donation for their favorite car design. The top five, donation-earning designs will be judged and narrowed down to one.  The winning design will be featured at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 14.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your voting!

Starting today, and running through September 3, the public is invited to visit www.jdrf.org/ford, and vote for their favorite children's design by making a monetary donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), all as part of Ford Customer Service Division's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Car Design Contest.

For the past two years JDRF children have helped design the paint scheme featured on the NHRA Motorcraft/Quick Lane Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car. This year, in honor of the Wood Brothers celebrating 60 years of racing Ford products in NASCAR, FCSD has decided to bring the successful contest over to the legendary race team.

The top five donation-earning designs will go in front of a panel of judges and narrowed down to one.  The winning design will be featured on the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane sponsored Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car driven by Bill Elliott during the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte, NC, on October 14-16.

For the past month, JDRF children have taken their crayons, markers and paintbrushes to a blank canvas in the shape of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion.  In October, one lucky artist will see his or her winning design come to life on the famous No. 21 car.

"We are delighted to bring this contest which has seen so much success through our NHRA program to NASCAR," said Brett Wheatley, Director of Marketing, Ford Customer Service Division. "The children did a tremendous job with their paint schemes for this year's contest.  This program has been a great way to generate awareness and funding for a worthy cause. We're honored to partner with the Wood Brothers and JDRF for the program this year. "

The winning designer will be selected on September 8, 2010 and will be invited with his or her parents for an official unveiling of their paint scheme at the Wood Brothers Racing shop in Charlotte, NC, on Wednesday, October 13. In addition, the winning child will also get the chance to see their car design run at Charlotte Motor Speedway during NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on Thursday, October 14.

Last year's winner was Liam Flanagan, an eight-year-old resident of Williamstown, New Jersey, and a member of the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Flanagan and his family were special guests at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals in Concord, NC, where his design appeared on Bob Tasca III's Ford Shelby Mustang Nitro Funny Car. Last year's contest drew over 300 designs and helped raise awareness and more than $39,500 for JDRF.

Diabetes affects more Ford families than any other disease.  Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has raised more than $27 million for JDRF since the grassroots campaign started in 1998. 

About Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)

JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease, which strikes children suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications, which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008.  In FY2008, the Foundation funded 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries. http://www.jdrf.org

About Motorcraft

Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers, independent distributors, and automotive parts retailers and are backed by Ford Motor Company's Service Parts Limited Warranty. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.

About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers

Quick Lane® provides automotive quick services for all makes and models.  Quick Lane's nationwide network will surpass 600 facilities, each providing the convenience of an aftermarket company (no appointment necessary, service while you wait, evening and weekend hours, competitive prices) with the confidence of a major automotive manufacturer (quality parts, factory-trained technicians).  Quick Lane® is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.quicklane.com.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents.   With about 176,000 employees and about 80 plants worldwide, the company's brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and, until its sale, Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.  For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.

Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing On the Web

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MQL_Racing  

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/MotorcraftQuickLaneRacing

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/motorcraftquicklaneracing/

SOURCE Ford Motor Company