DGR-Crosley, Ford Performance Announce Partnership

The multi-year manufacturer agreement will help further develop Ford’s pipeline of young talent to support their successful efforts in NASCAR’s top series.

“We’re very excited to have DGR-Crosley come to Ford as part of our long-term efforts to develop drivers for NASCAR,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We have just scratched the surface of what is possible in developing the next generation of Ford drivers with people like Chase Briscoe, and we believe a coordinated effort with a team like DGR-Crosley will help move that process forward successfully. David Gilliland was a trusted and valued Ford driver in NASCAR for many years, and we look forward to renewing that relationship with him in this new effort.”

The partnership will also provide DGR-Crosley and their drivers with assets that will help elevate their program to a championship-caliber organization across multiple racing series. While Ford is new to the driver development program that was established in 2017, Gilliland has a long-standing relationship with the manufacturer. The veteran NASCAR Cup Series driver was a part of the Ford family for nearly 10 years in his full-time racing days.

“I’m super excited about the partnership with Ford and how things are lining up for 2020,” said team co-owner Gilliland. “I spent a lot of time racing Fords throughout my career, and it’s really special to now be able to bring them into our race shop. A lot of time and consideration was spent on this decision, and internally we know that this is the move that we needed to make in order to advance our program to the top level. We have a great group of hard-working, talented people at DGR-Crosley, and with Ford coming on board, our future is really bright. We’re excited for all the things ahead.”

A lineup of DGR-Crosley drivers that will join the Ford Performance team in 2020 will be released in the coming days.

About DGR-Crosley: DGR-Crosley is a race team owned by NASCAR veteran David Gilliland and Crosley Brands CEO, Bo LeMastus. The Ford Performance team operates out of three buildings totaling 60,000 square feet in Mooresville, N.C. DGR-Crosley specializes in driver development where drivers are coached and given the tools to prepare for NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series and Late Model competition. In just two years of operation, the newly formed team has achieved success across each series, collecting multiple wins and Championships.

About Ford Performance: Ford’s racing program is part of the Ford Performance organization based in Dearborn, Mich. It is responsible for major racing operations globally, including NASCAR (Cup Series, XFINITY Series, Gander RV & Outdoors NASCAR Truck Series), FIA World Rally Championship, Virgin Australian Supercars Championship, Formula Drift, and NHRA Funny Car and sportsman drag racing. In addition, the organization also oversees the development of Ford’s racing engines, as well as the outreach programs with all Ford Clubs and Ford enthusiasts. For more information regarding Ford racing’s activities, please visit www.fordperformance.com, www.facebook/FordPerformance, Ford Performance on Instagram and @FordPerformance on Twitter.