Now, this is how you build a racing machine. Ford Racing has officially pulled the covers off its brand-new NASCAR Cup Series contender inside the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America during the Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic event at Daytona Beach.
The beast is based directly on the production Mustang Dark Horse SC, an absolute powerhouse of a road car featuring a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine pushing out up to 795 horsepower and 660 lb.-ft. of torque. According to Mark Rushbrook, global director for Ford Racing, the engineering team had no time to waste after announcing the car's arrival in January, working hand-in-hand with designers to weave road car DNA into a competitive track weapon.
I can't wait to get behind the wheel of this new Mustang at Daytona,
That means an aggressive new nose designed specifically to squeeze every drop of aerodynamic performance out of the chassis, trading road-car cooling for vital downforce on the oval. Mustang has been a force since joining the Cup Series full-time back in 2019, racking up 80 wins and three championships thanks to Joey Logano in 2022 and 2024, alongside Ryan Blaney in 2023. Those victories include a pair of triumphs apiece in heavyweight classics like the Daytona 500, Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Brickyard 400.
Logano made his feelings known about the new aesthetic and speed, noting that the Mustang remains the best-looking car on the grid. "I can't wait to get behind the wheel of this new Mustang at Daytona," he said. Blaney echoed that hunger to write history in the new machinery, stating his desire to be the very first driver to take the new car to victory lane.
The new Mustang will make its proper competitive bow during Daytona Speedweeks, leading right up to the 69th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21, broadcast across Fox Sports, HBO Max, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Before then, the launch day festivities rolled straight into the inaugural Ford Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic at Daytona International Speedway, featuring 12 Ford Racing drivers battling on the road course in Ford Mustang Dark Horse Rs representing all six military branches.
