Mustang Sets Records at Bristol Speedway;

The 2011 Ford Mustang V-6 averaged 48.6 miles per gallon at Bristol Motor Speedway at an average speed of 43.9 mph. The Ford Mustang was previously the first car ever to have a fuel efficiency of 30 mpg and a 302 horsepower powertrain. Other models such as the Nissan Altima and Chevy Silverado were not a part of the test at Bristol.

The test at Bristol was a part of the Mustang 1,000 lap challenge in which 51,000 contestants attempted to guess the total number of laps that the Mustang would be able to run on a single tank of fuel. The 2011 Mustang was a stock model with no additions. Although the goal of Ford engineers for the Mustang was set at 1,000 laps, it far surpassed that goal by reaching a total of 1,457 laps and 776.5 miles. The challenge was completed over the course of 17 hours and 40 minutes.

The 2011 Mustang V-6 features an all aluminum 3.7 liter dual overhead cam V-6 engine with the latest fuel efficiency technology. Tom Barnes, the lead engineer for the challenge had this to say about the results, "It was great when we went past the 1,000 lap mark with David, but nobody could ever imagine that we still had five hours ahead of us. This is a fantastic feeling and it shows again what a great car the 2011 Mustang V-6 is."

The total number of laps for the Mustang is astonishing, although Ford engineers designed the test to incorporate several fuel saving techniques such as avoiding the use of air conditioning, avoiding stops and starts, and keeping driving steady and consistent.

There were a total of 22 entries that guessed the total number of laps correctly. One entry will be selected at random as the winner of a 2011 Mustang V-6. The same model that was used to run the laps at Bristol is a stock model that can be purchased at a local Ford dealer.