Thousands Get Chance to Put the New Ford Fusion Through Its Paces Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

        - Ford NASCAR Stars Kurt Busch and Terry Cook to Meet Fans
                  as Ford Championship Weekend Kicks Off

* Wednesday, Nov. 16: Thousands of race fans are expected to meet NASCAR superstars Kurt Busch and Terry Cook and live out their race-car fantasies by driving on the Homestead-Miami Speedway racetrack with the all-new 2006 Ford Fusion, the hot Mustang GT and other Ford vehicles at the Ford Racing innovation drive.

* Fans will take the production-car version of Ford's 2006 NASCAR Fusion racecar on a speedway circuit with professional driving instructors riding shotgun.

WHAT: Defending NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion Kurt Busch and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Terry Cook will answer questions and sign autographs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET (just two days before both drivers will compete in the NASCAR Ford Championship Weekend events), while race fans put these new Ford production vehicles through their paces in an all-day, free racing festival at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Those who attend can also test drive the new 2006 Ford Explorer, the 2005 F-150, Five Hundred and Freestyle and view an elaborate NASCAR racing display, including the new 2006 NASCAR Ford Fusion racecar that Ford's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers will be driving in the 2006 season.

WHEN/WHERE

The event, open to the public from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., is Wednesday, Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. It's FREE.

ADDITIONAL STORY LINES: Executives from Ford Motor Company and Ford Racing in Dearborn, MI, will be on hand to answer questions on a variety of topics, including:

* The Business Story: Why holding advance public test-drives at popular venues such as Homestead-Miami Speedway is worth more a thousand advertising words -- it's 10 times more effective than conventional direct mail.

* Ford Championship Weekend: Ford recently announced a new 10-year agreement to continue hosting the NASCAR season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ford executives can discuss why this relationship has been so successful.

* Another Business Angle: How NASCAR involvement helps Ford sell cars and trucks. Recent surveys show 54 percent of Ford owners consider themselves race fans -- a huge number -- and race fans purchase and consider Ford products at a much higher rate than the general population.

* Product Story: Why the all-new Fusion will be the most affordable mid- size car in the industry when it arrives in dealerships soon, yet unlike its "vanilla" competition, it will have the swagger and performance of a true "driver's car."