Ford unveils new NASCAR Mustang Dark Horse SC

Ford Racing rolled out the Mustang Dark Horse SC on Wednesday, which will race in the NASCAR Cup Series next season.

“Our team of race engineers worked hard-in-hand with Ford designers to create a car that not only holds true to Mustang’s unique appearance but lives up to its heritage as a car that was born to race,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Racing. “We believe this car will put us in a position to win a lot of races and championships in the years ahead.”

Ford held the unveiling inside the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America at Daytona International Speedway ahead of its Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic event.

One key characteristic of the new body is what Ford described as “an aggressive-looking nose” designed to optimize aerodynamics. Ford based the car on its production model, the most advanced and powerful Dark Horse ever, with a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine that provides up to 795 horsepower and 660 lb.-ft. of torque.

“When we introduced the Mustang Dark Horse SC in January and announced it was coming to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027, we had no time to waste,” said Rushbrook. “Racing makes our road cars better, and our road cars make our race cars better. We put that philosophy to work here, incorporating key elements from the Dark Horse SC into the new Mustang race car to help make it even more competitive every week.”

The Mustang was the Ford model brought into the Cup Series in 2019. It won three drivers’ championships with Joey Logano (2022, 2024) and Ryan Blaney (2023).

“I’ve said this ever since Ford brought Mustang into the Cup Series and nothing since then has changed my mind – we have the best-looking car on the track, hands down, and Ford Racing has worked to make it one of the fastest too,” said Logano. “Mustang is an American icon, and no one is more proud to drive it each and every week than me. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of this new Mustang at Daytona.”

Blaney rolled out the new production model when Ford announced it back in January during their preseason launch.

“All of us want to be the first one to win a race in this new Mustang, and I’m not different,” Blaney said. “I’ve been pretty fortunate that throughout my Cup career the only car I’ve ever driven is a Ford and I’m proud of that. Ford does a great job of designing race cars that give us the best chance to win, and I can’t think of a better way to get started than by winning the Daytona 500.”

Zane Smith is the only driver to have driven the new Mustang thus far during testing.