Roger Keeney, who has lived in Athens for more than 10 years, won the chance last week to stomp the accelerator of the company’s flagship muscle car, feel the inertia of hairpin turns and inhale the smoke of his own burned rubber - even if he couldn’t see the landscape whiz by.
Keeney is blind.
“They told me the smoke was so thick, they could barely see the car,” Keeney said.
NASCAR driver Tommy Kendall rode shotgun while Keeney approached 90 mph on a desolate test road in Phoenix, a chance he won with an essay in Ford’s promotional sweepstakes for the new model.
In the essay contest, Ford asked Mustang lovers to tell their Mustang dream story in 250 words or less for a chance to take the car for a spin.
Keeney’s essay, “Impossible Possibility,” described how he’d fumble in his pocket for car keys, press a button and wait to hear the “beep” that would help him find the car. At the car’s side, he’d fold up his cane, slump down into a leather seat and peel away like other drivers do every day.
Keeney never thought he’d win, but a Ford representative called weeks later to set up an all-expenses-paid trip to Phoenix, where he would get to drive the car.
“I thought it was a joke,” Keeney said. “I figured these folks at Ford would get a big laugh.”
But Ford’s marketing department thought his story stood out, and saw that there were other ways customers could enjoy a Mustang.
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