Roush Fenway will make or break the automaker's run

Carl Edwards picked up three of Roush Fenway and Ford's combined seven wins in 2007. AP

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Ford will succeed or fail on the fortunes of Roush Fenway Racing this season in NASCAR's Sprint Cup. While it seems unlikely that the venerable Detroit automaker will be able to overtake Chevrolet for the top spot, holding onto the No. 2 position could prove difficult, as well.

With only one front-running team -- even one as formidable as Roush Fenway with its five cars and trio of A-list drivers -- the possibility exists that Ford could slide to third (not good) or fourth (disastrous).

Ford spends an estimated $20 million annually on its four teams and nine cars, and somewhere in the range of $100 million if you include the marketing budget. The "win on Sunday and sell on Monday" theme remains central to NASCAR, especially with Ford.

With its signing of Joe Gibbs Racing and its all-star driver lineup of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch (plus Brian Vickers at Red Bull and J.J. Yeley at Hall of Fame), Toyota may have more threats to get to Victory Lane than Ford.

Dodge has the potential to make gains, too, in the all-important winning department with Penske's Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman, Gillett Evernham's Kasey Kahne, and Ganassi's Juan Pablo Montoya and Reed Sorenson. Sorenson had three top-fives at age 21 last season.

Ford's strength, or weakness, will depend on Roush Fenway. Carl Edwards (three), Matt Kenseth (two), Greg Biffle (one) and Jamie McMurray (one) combined for Roush and Ford's seven wins in 2007. Roush's technology could make a jump and those first three have the ability to combine for a double-digit win season.

But what happens if Roush doesn't keep up with the pace of development and understanding on the Car of Tomorrow chassis that will be used in every race this season?

Ford and Roush Fenway are working side by side -- literally and figuratively -- with Yates Racing in supplying chassis. In an effort to lift the entire program, the engines are still Roush-Yates. But Yates is without sponsorship and has two drivers, David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil, who aren't ready to win at the Cup level. Maybe someday, but not now.

Ford's other teams are one-car efforts from owner-driver Robby Gordon and the Wood Brothers, who will run Bill Elliott for about half the season and rookies Marcos Ambrose and Jon Wood. Top-10 finishes are about the best that Ford can expect from them.

Ford's responsibility to perform is placed squarely on Roush Fenway's shoulders. And Edwards is confident the team can carry the load.

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