Ford Racing
125 Years of Competition • 1901–2026
Ford Racing: Born to Compete
Long before Ford Motor Company built millions of vehicles, Henry Ford proved his engineering ideas in competition. More than 125 years later, Ford Racing competes from Formula 1 and NASCAR to endurance racing, rally, drag racing, drifting and some of the toughest off-road events on Earth.
America's Race Team
Ford Was Born From Racing
For Ford, motorsports is more than a marketing program. Competition has been part of the company's story since before Ford Motor Company officially existed.
On October 10, 1901, Henry Ford entered a car called Sweepstakes in a race at Grosse Pointe, Michigan, against the heavily favored Alexander Winton. Ford won. That victory helped demonstrate the potential of Henry Ford's engineering and helped attract the financial backing that ultimately led to the founding of Ford Motor Company in 1903.
The philosophy established that day continues to shape Ford Racing: build something ambitious, test it in the harshest competitive environment possible, learn from the result and apply those lessons to the next generation of vehicles.
Ford Performance became Ford Racing in 2025. Ford announced that its performance and motorsports division would return to the Ford Racing name, bringing competition vehicles and high-performance production vehicles under a more closely integrated global organization.
The full Ford Racing identity arrived for the 2026 racing season — fittingly, the same year Ford celebrated the 125th anniversary of Henry Ford's first racing victory.
1901 Henry Ford wins in Sweepstakes
4 Consecutive overall Le Mans wins from 1966–1969
155 Formula 1 victories associated with the legendary Ford-Cosworth DFV era
125 Years of Ford racing history celebrated in 2026
Ford Racing History
More Than a Century of Competition
Ford's racing history stretches across nearly every major form of motorsport — from dirt tracks and stock cars to Formula 1, Le Mans, drag strips, rally stages and open desert.
1901
Henry Ford Wins With Sweepstakes
Henry Ford defeats Alexander Winton in a 10-mile race near Detroit. The attention generated by the victory helps Ford attract the investment needed to continue pursuing his automotive ambitions.
1964
Mustang Begins Its Competition Story
Mustang entered competition almost immediately after the model's introduction, beginning a racing story that would eventually include road racing, drag racing, NASCAR, endurance racing, drifting, Australian Supercars and one-make competition.
1966–1969
Ford GT40 Dominates Le Mans
Ford captured four consecutive overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 1966 victory became one of the most recognized moments in American motorsports history and began a four-year run at the top of the world's most famous endurance race.
1967–1980s
The Ford-Cosworth DFV Era in Formula 1
The Ford-Cosworth DFV became one of the most successful racing engines ever produced. It powered generations of Formula 1 cars and accumulated 155 Grand Prix victories while helping some of the sport's most famous drivers win championships.
1969
Bronco Wins the Baja 1000
A Ford Bronco captured an overall Baja 1000 victory, establishing an off-road competition heritage that continues today through Bronco and Raptor racing programs.
2016
Ford GT Returns to Le Mans
Fifty years after Ford's first overall Le Mans victory, the modern Ford GT returned to the race and earned a GT class victory — reconnecting a new generation with one of Ford's most celebrated racing stories.
2024
Mustang Dark Horse Enters NASCAR Cup Competition
The seventh-generation Mustang's Dark Horse identity reached NASCAR's premier series, creating a direct visual connection between Ford's road-going performance coupe and its stock-car racing program.
2025
Ford Performance Becomes Ford Racing
Ford announced the return of the Ford Racing name and a closer relationship between its global race programs, engineers, designers and high-performance production vehicles.
2026
Ford Returns to Formula 1
After a 22-year absence, Ford returned to Formula 1 through Red Bull Ford Powertrains, providing technical expertise for the power units used by Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
2027
The Next Le Mans Chapter
Ford Racing is scheduled to return to the top category of the FIA World Endurance Championship with a new Hypercar program, pursuing overall victory at Le Mans for the first time in decades.
Ford's modern endurance-racing story carries forward a Le Mans legacy that helped define the Ford Racing name.
Ford Racing Today
Where Does Ford Race Professionally?
Ford Racing operates one of the broadest motorsports programs in the automotive industry, competing across pavement, dirt, desert, drag strips, rally stages and circuits around the world.
Ford returned to Formula 1 in 2026 through Red Bull Ford Powertrains, adding a new chapter to a racing history that stretches back more than a century.
Formula 1
Red Bull Ford Powertrains
Ford returned to Formula 1 in 2026 through its partnership with Red Bull Powertrains. Ford contributes engineering expertise in areas including battery technology, electric motors, power-unit controls, software, analytics and internal-combustion-engine hardware.
Stock Car Racing
NASCAR
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, while Ford also participates throughout NASCAR's national divisions. NASCAR remains one of the most visible pillars of Ford's American racing program.
Sports Car Racing
IMSA
The Mustang GT3 races in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, while Mustang GT4 competes in customer-based sports-car categories. Mustang Challenge also appears during major IMSA race weekends.
Global GT Racing
GT3 & GT4 Competition
Mustang GT3 and Mustang GT4 race across multiple international championships and customer racing programs, giving Ford one of the widest global footprints of any Mustang competition generation.
World Rally
FIA World Rally Championship
Ford's long-running partnership with M-Sport continues Ford's rally presence at the highest level of international stage rally competition, extending a relationship between Ford and M-Sport that dates back decades.
Drag Racing
NHRA
Ford supports Mustang-based competition in NHRA drag racing, including Nitro Funny Car. Ford's drag-racing heritage stretches from the Thunderbolt and Cobra Jet to today's extreme Mustang race cars.
Australia
Supercars Championship
Mustang competes in Australia's premier touring-car championship, continuing a Ford rivalry tradition that is deeply connected to events such as the Bathurst 1000.
Drifting
Formula Drift
Ford-backed RTR Mustangs compete in professional Formula Drift, combining huge power, extreme steering angle and controlled oversteer in one of motorsport's most spectator-focused disciplines.
Rally-Raid
Dakar & World Rally-Raid
The Ford Raptor T1+ competes in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship and Dakar Rally. The program serves as an extreme test of durability, suspension, cooling, navigation and vehicle performance over thousands of kilometers.
Off-Road
Baja & King of the Hammers
Raptor and Bronco competition vehicles continue Ford's off-road heritage in desert racing and rock racing, including events connected to the Baja 1000 and King of the Hammers.
One-Make Racing
Mustang Challenge
Mustang Challenge places drivers in race-prepared Mustang Dark Horse R vehicles and provides a professionally organized step toward higher levels of sports-car competition.
Customer Racing
Mustang Cup
Mustang Cup gives developing racers another accessible route into organized Mustang competition and serves as a foundational level within Ford Racing's sports-car development structure.
Coming in 2027
Ford Racing Hypercar & the Return to the Top Class at Le Mans
Ford has announced a factory Hypercar program for the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship. The program will return Ford to the highest category of endurance sports-car racing and give the company another opportunity to pursue an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans — the race Ford famously won four consecutive times from 1966 through 1969.
Rally-raid and desert competition push Ford Racing vehicles through some of the most punishing terrain in motorsports.
From Enthusiast to Professional
Ford Racing Supports Grassroots Motorsports, Too
Ford's motorsports strategy is not limited to factory teams and professional drivers. A major part of the program is giving private racers and developing drivers a path into real competition.
Mustang-based racing gives developing drivers and private teams multiple pathways into organized competition.
Ford has built a sports-car racing ladder centered around Mustang. Instead of requiring a driver to jump directly into a highly specialized GT race car, the program creates increasingly advanced levels of machinery and competition.
STEP 01
Mustang Cup
An entry point into organized Mustang racing built around accessible, production-connected competition.
STEP 02
Mustang Challenge
Drivers compete in purpose-built Mustang Dark Horse R race cars in professionally sanctioned events.
STEP 03
Mustang GT4
A globally eligible customer race car designed for major professional and semi-professional GT4 categories.
STEP 04
Mustang GT3
Ford's premier Mustang customer racing platform, eligible for major GT3 championships around the world.
Mustang Dark Horse R
At the center of Ford's developing-driver strategy is the Mustang Dark Horse R. The track-only race car uses a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 producing more than 500 horsepower and combines recognizable Mustang architecture with racing safety equipment, Multimatic DSSV dampers, Brembo racing brakes, aerodynamic upgrades, data logging and other track-focused hardware.
Why Grassroots Racing Matters to Ford
Customer racing expands Ford's motorsports program beyond factory teams. Private owners, independent teams and developing drivers generate additional competition data while creating a pathway that can move racers from accessible one-make competition into GT4 and GT3 machinery.
The same philosophy is visible off-road, where production-based Bronco and Raptor vehicles compete alongside highly specialized race machines. That connection between customer vehicles and race vehicles allows Ford to test components and engineering ideas in environments that are difficult to reproduce anywhere else.
Bronco's connection between production vehicles and off-road racing reflects Ford's long history of learning through competition.
Ford Racing Video Series
Go Behind the Scenes With Ford Racing
Follow Ford Racing's modern motorsports story through this eight-part video series. Episodes 1, 2, 3 and 4 are available now, with four additional episodes coming soon.
Episode 1 — Ford Racing The first chapter of the Ford Racing video series.
Episode 2 — Ford Racing The second chapter of the Ford Racing video series.
Episode 03
Ford Racing
The third chapter of the Ford Racing video series.
Episode 04
Ford Racing
The fourth chapter of the Ford Racing video series.
Episode 05
Coming Soon
Future Ford Racing episode.
Episode 06
Coming Soon
Future Ford Racing episode.
Episode 07
Coming Soon
Future Ford Racing episode.
Episode 08
Coming Soon
The final installment of the eight-part Ford Racing series.
Race. Learn. Improve.
Why Does Ford Race?
Racing puts engineering decisions under extraordinary pressure. Ford uses competition as a development environment where ideas can be tested at speeds, temperatures and loads far beyond ordinary daily driving.
Powertrain Development
Formula 1, endurance racing, NASCAR, NHRA and off-road racing challenge engines, electric systems, batteries, transmissions and cooling systems under extreme conditions.
Aerodynamics
Mustang GT3, NASCAR and Ford's racing demonstrators provide engineers with valuable information about airflow, drag, cooling and downforce.
Suspension & Chassis
Racing programs involving Mustang, Bronco and Raptor help engineers understand vehicle control over racetracks, rocks, jumps, sand, desert terrain and rough surfaces.
Software & Controls
Modern motorsports relies heavily on simulation, telemetry, energy management, vehicle controls and data analysis — disciplines that increasingly influence production vehicles.
Durability
Events such as Dakar, Baja and endurance racing compress enormous amounts of stress into a short period, helping teams expose weaknesses and improve component durability.
Driver Experience
Racing also helps develop steering, braking, vehicle balance and performance systems designed to make Ford's enthusiast vehicles more engaging to drive.
The connection can be seen in vehicles such as the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Mustang Dark Horse SC, Mustang GTD, F-150 Raptor and Bronco Raptor , which draw heavily from Ford's performance engineering culture.
The Global Race Car
Mustang Is at the Center of Ford Racing
Few production-car nameplates compete in as many forms of motorsport as Mustang. Depending on the championship, today's Mustang racing family includes specialized versions built for stock-car racing, road racing, drag racing, drifting, Australian Supercars and Ford's own one-make series.
That gives Ford a racing ladder stretching from an enthusiast purchasing a track-ready Mustang Dark Horse R to factory-supported GT3 competition at some of the world's most famous circuits.
Ford has increasingly used that relationship in reverse as well. Lessons learned through the Mustang GT3 and Mustang GTD programs have influenced newer performance vehicles, demonstrating Ford Racing's goal of reducing the distance between a race-car engineering program and a vehicle customers can actually drive.
Ford Racing FAQ
Common Questions About Ford Racing
Is Ford Performance now called Ford Racing?
Yes. Ford announced in September 2025 that Ford Performance would become Ford Racing. The new identity more closely combines Ford's motorsports programs with development of its high-performance production vehicles.
When did Ford first begin racing?
Ford traces its racing heritage to 1901, when Henry Ford drove a car called Sweepstakes to victory in a race against Alexander Winton. The win helped Henry Ford attract financial support before Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903.
Is Ford racing in Formula 1?
Yes. Ford returned to Formula 1 in 2026 through Red Bull Ford Powertrains. The collaboration supports the power units used by Oracle Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
Does Ford still race at Le Mans?
Mustang GT3 has competed in international endurance racing that includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ford has also announced a factory Hypercar program scheduled to enter the top level of the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2027.
What Ford vehicles are used in racing?
Ford racing programs use competition vehicles connected to Mustang, Bronco and Raptor, along with purpose-built Formula 1 power units and specialized demonstrator vehicles.
Can regular drivers race a Ford Mustang?
Ford's customer racing programs are designed to provide routes into organized competition. Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge use the Mustang Dark Horse R, while more advanced customer teams can compete with Mustang GT4 and Mustang GT3 race cars.
Why does Ford spend money on racing?
Ford uses motorsports to develop engineering knowledge under demanding conditions. Racing can contribute lessons in powertrain design, software, aerodynamics, thermal management, suspension, durability and vehicle dynamics that can influence future Ford products.
Experience Ford Performance for Yourself
You don't need a pit crew or a racing license to experience the engineering behind the Blue Oval. Explore today's Ford Mustang, Bronco, F-150 and other performance-inspired Ford vehicles at Chuck Anderson Ford in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.
Explore Chuck Anderson Ford Racing series, programs, vehicles and schedules are subject to change. Information on this page reflects Ford Racing programs and announcements available for the 2026 motorsports season. Visit FordRacing.com and the applicable racing sanctioning body for current schedules, rules and program information.