The Ford Mustang has always been built to be a fast car that belongs on a racetrack. That tradition will carry on in 2024, as Ford announced a new Mustang for the NASCAR Cup Series.
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Mustang's racing heritage takes a new turn in @NASCAR.
Announcing the 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse: a legacy refined, ushering in the next era of speed. #BredtoRaceFP pic.twitter.com/GNs8FBQgdi— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) November 1, 2023
Next year will look a little different as the manufacturer officially announced that the Mustang Dark Horse will take to the top level of NASCAR for 2024.
Ford unveiled the street model of the Dark Horse in 2022 and now it will officially hit the racetrack starting at the Clash at the LA Coliseum in February.
The Ford Mustang, now in its seventh generation, has long had a legacy in racing.
The global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, Mark Rushbrook, spoke to the media during a teleconference about the importance of keeping the Mustang Legacy going in racing.
"It's been such a great car for us and a great icon for us since 1964, both as a road car and as a race car for that entire time," Rushbrook said."When we as a company made the commitment to have a seventh-generation Mustang for the road, we knew instantly in motorsports that meant a new wave of Mustangs for us on the racetrack."
That was true, as Ford saw a refresh across a number of different racing series, including IMSA and the Australian Supercars.
"Of course, our bread and butter here in the United States is NASCAR," Rushbrook said. "When we switched from Fusion to Mustang in Cup in 2019, that was a big deal and something we've been very happy to see the success of that car. But now to be updating this Mustang in Cup to the seventh-generation Mustang, and especially the new model with a Mustang Dark Horse, to really make a statement about what Mustang is as a rod car, as a sport car, and as a race car at the highest level in NASCAR is important. And it gives us that opportunity to continue racing Mustang in front of great fans, on great racetracks, and to kind of wave the flag for the new Dark Horse version was important for us as well."
Ford has one shot in Sunday's championship race with Ryan Blaney shooting for his first Cup title. What better opportunity to bring in the new Mustang for 2024 with Blaney capturing another title for Ford this year? Joey Logano was the first to claim a championship with a Mustang in 2022, can Blaney do it too?
The Mustang Dark Horse looks sharp, and hopefully, it carries the same speed Ford's current car does.
