By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SPARTA, Ky. - The Kentucky Speedway has secured title sponsors for its entire race schedule for the fourth consecutive year.

The track announced Wednesday that the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race July 12 will be called The Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers.

SCHEDULE

• May 10: ARCA Series, The Channel 5 205 ( 8 p.m.) • June 14: NASCAR Busch Series, Meijer 300 ( 8 p.m.) • July 12: NASCAR Truck Series, The Kentucky 225 ( 8 p.m.) • Aug. 17: Indy Racing League, Belterra Casino 300 (2 p.m.)

The sponsorship agreement is a one-year deal with a one-year renewal option. Financial terms were not disclosed. The first three Craftsman races were known as The Kroger 225, but Kroger is no longer a title sponsor for the track.

Speedway general manager Mark Cassis and Ford Racing marketing manager Burt Diamond began work on the current deal in mid-February when they met in Daytona Beach, Fla., for the start of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series at the Daytona 500.

"The concept of the deal was really made in a 10-, 15-minute conversation that I had with Mark," Diamond said. "I called him a few days afterward, and we put something together pretty quickly. It was done short and quick, which is pretty unusual."

Securing a title sponsor for the Craftsman Series race was critical to Kentucky Speedway, which is trying to obtain a Winston Cup date for the 2004 season. Since opening in June 2000, the track has never hosted a Winston Cup race.

"Ford has been a big supporter of the track since Day 1, and now the event sponsorship brings it all together," Cassis said.

Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers have provided the official car and truck of Kentucky Speedway since its opening. In 2002, Ford Racing signed a multiyear agreement to rent the facility each Tuesday for Winston Cup testing.

Ford is unveiling a new F-150 truck for 2004 and plans to use the race to showcase the vehicle.