Three companies have teamed up to create a new professional racing series and one of those business partners is Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele County.

Ford Racing, BFGoodrich Tires and Miller Motorsports Park are the major players sponsoring a new racing series which will include eight stops at various locations in the United States and Canada next year with the final race scheduled for MMP.

The series will be called the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup presented by BF Goodrich Tires. It is the first time a racetrack in the United States has sponsored a professional racing series, according to John Gardner, media manager for MMP.

"It is unprecedented in this country for a racetrack to launch a series like this," Gardner said. "This series will provide competitors an affordable way to go racing with a V8-powered rear-wheel-drive car."

Company officials announced the new series at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association Convention (SEMA) in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Gardner said the three companies started talking about the possibility of creating the series four or five months ago.

The motorsports park in Tooele Valley operates the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School and this series is the next step in the partnership with the two companies.

Ford already has built 77 cars and more will be built as demand dictates. The series will utilize the new Ford Mustang FR500 fitted with BFGoodrich g-force tires.

The FR500S starts life as a production-line Ford Mustang, and is built on a special assembly line without the seats, carpet, noise insulation and other interior items that are normally included in a street car. The car is fitted with a full roll-cage and shipped to MMP, where final assembly -- including safety equipment and competition power and suspension upgrades -- is completed. A total of 77 cars have been built to date, and more will be built as demand dictates.

Priced at $75,000 race-ready, the 325-hp Ford Mustang FR500S is the first racing car in the long history of the Ford Motor Company to be built on an assembly line.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., will sanction the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires, which will serve as a support race to many of the top professional road racing series in North America.

Each race weekend will include two 30-minute practice sessions, a 25-minute qualifying session and a 45-minute "sprint" race. Drivers will compete for purses and prizes totaling $300,000. Points will be awarded through 25th place, with 30 points to win and an individual point for pole position. The series will be open to drivers with a national-level racing license.

"We are very excited about the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires," said Alan Wilson, MMP general manager. "The series will fill a significant niche in professional road racing and will be the perfect venue for a variety of racers. The Ford Mustang FR500S has proven to be stable, reliable and fun to drive, and the competition should be close and intense."

"Being a lifelong Ford fan myself," said MMP owner Larry Miller, "I am thrilled about the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires. The Ford Mustang FR500S is a terrific car, and I think the racing is going to be tremendous. The series represents a unique business model for a racetrack to undertake, one that adds another innovative facet to our operation at Miller Motorsports Park. Our friends at Ford Racing and BFGoodrich Tires have been phenomenal to work with as our relationship has flourished from the creation of the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School through the co-development of the Ford Mustang FR500S to the creation of the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires. It's an exciting time for us, and I can't wait to see the cars on the track."

mwatson@tooeletranscript.com