“He just fits in,” said Wood. “I’ve noticed the last few years he’ll start on one end of the garage and as he makes his way around people will just stop him and want his autograph on pictures. Just him being around with his heritage and the family legacy that he carries is one of the best things in the sport.”
And that feeling isn’t just reserved for those people with ties to the Blue Oval. It’s industrywide and includes the likes of Jeff Gordon and Ray Evernham. Mention Ford’s name to them and they’ll immediately tell the story of how they knocked on his door in New York’s Waldorf-Astoria hotel at 4 a.m.
The duo was in the midst of their post-banquet celebration in 1997 after winning their second Cup Series championship and wanted to congratulate Ford on winning the manufacturers’ title, so they found out what room he was in and decided to pay him a visit. After a minute or two of waiting anxiously in the hallway, they were delighted to see Ford not only open the door, but welcome them inside to share a few laughs.
“The love the NASCAR drivers – whether they be driving for Ford or someone else – have for Edsel is remarkable, said Joe Hinrichs, president, Automotive, Ford Motor Company. “It is that knowledge and commitment to the sport that has served Ford and NASCAR well for several decades, and has earned him respect from the global racing community. There is no person more deserving than Edsel.”
Ford will become the sixth person to receive the Landmark Award, which recognizes someone on an annual basis for their contributions to the sport, joining Jim France, Jim Hunter, H. Clay Earles, Harold Brasington and Anne Bledsoe France.
“He is a landmark, isn’t he?,” quipped Bill Elliott, a 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee who ranks second on the all-time Ford win list with 40 Cup Series victories. “He deserves it. He was around in the era we came up through, and I appreciate all he’s done for not only us, but the entire sport.”
Edsel Ford has had a front row seat for many of the great moments in Ford’s racing history and established lifelong friendships in the process.
“Edsel is just like family to us because he’s always there when you need him,” said Wood, who along with brother Len and sister Kim serve as co-owners of NASCAR’s longest active team. “We talk often and we don’t always talk about racing. We talk about kids and grandkids, and we just talk about life. He’s helped us through a whole lot of tight spots or just things in our life or career that needed some guidance. He’s the godfather of Ford racing, but he’s also part of our family.”
After witnessing that historic 24 Hours of Le Mans victory in 1966, Ford followed along as the legendary trio of Carroll Shelby, Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt repeated that win and become the first — and to this day only – all-American team to win the famed endurance race in 1967.
Ford parlayed that experience into a summer job a few years later with Shelby that, among other things, involved using an acidic wash to magna flush car parts. It wasn’t long after that he also met Roush for the first time.
“I was at the Winternationals in Pomona, California in 1973 or 1974 when I met Edsel and he was still a college student in Boston at the time,” recalled Roush, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last year. “He has always been a proponent of using motorsports to market Ford Motor Company’s products to generate excitement for the company and he has helped create a lot of champions in various racing series.”
Ford spent time learning the finer points of road racing from NASCAR Hall of Famer and World War II hero Bud Moore, who spearheaded Ford’s dominance in the Trans-Am Series with Parnelli Jones in 1970. He also followed and became a close friend to Sir Jackie Stewart, who won the Formula One World Championship for Ford three times (1969, 1971, 1973). In fact, the two became so close that Stewart served as a groomsman in Ford’s wedding.
In more recent times, Ford was on top of the pit box for one of the most memorable wins in Daytona 500 history with NASCAR Hall of Famers Glenn and Leonard Wood in 2011, and celebrated on stage at Homestead-Miami Speedway when Joey Logano won the 2018 Cup Series championship.
He’s seen it all and has even done it all as his top speed of 206.6 miles per hour driving his personal Ford GT last year at the Sun Valley Road Rally can attest.
It’s safe to say that Ford won’t be going that fast when he walks across the stage to accept his award, but those in attendance will be quick to show their appreciation for what he’s meant to the sport all these years.
“Edsel is the heart and soul of Ford Motor Company in NASCAR,” said Yates. “I know this award means a lot to him and it means a lot to everybody that’s been a part of the journey with him.”