Congratulations to Maryn Winters—The 2015 Ford Race Car Design Champion!

This year's Race Car Design Contest for JDRF Hosted by Motorcraft raised almost $40,000 to help JDRF create a world without type 1 diabetes! On July 23, 2015 the winner, Maryn Winters–and her parents�traveled to Indianapolis to begin a whirlwind weekend.

The fun began on Friday when Maryn's design was unveiled under the iconic Pagoda at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Her work was proudly featured on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion #21 driven by Ryan Blaney. Maryn also had a chance to meet Leonard Wood, one of the founders of Wood Brothers Racing, as well as the team's current owners, Eddie and Len Wood. She was then whisked away to be interviewed by local and national media and finished the day visiting Ryan's garage to eat lunch with his pit crew.

On Saturday, Maryn watched Ryan qualify for the weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. She also served as an honorary greeter during driver introductions for the Lilly Diabetes 250 NASCAR XFINIFY Series race, before exploring Indianapolis with her family. Her night ended appropriately–in a Cinderella–themed carriage ride.

On Sunday, Maryn was presented with a mini hood and die-cast model of her winning race car design. Maryn then shadowed Ryan during driver meetings and escorted him to the start of the event. She even rode around the speedway with Ryan in the back of a truck before the start of the race. Maryn and her family had front-row seats in the team's pit box, watching Ryan race to a 12th place finish.

Click here to view all photos from Maryn's amazing weekend.

Thank you to all the talented children who participated in this year's contest. Remember, it's never too early to start planning your design for next year. We hope to see you in the winner's circle in 2016!


Click here to view all the 2015 designs.