CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The versatile Tony Stewart, NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney and Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez were among the 50-some drivers present at the Ford Performance Season Launch party on Wednesday night.
Held at The Fillmore concert venue in downtown Charlotte, nine Ford vehicles were on display outside the building for guests to peruse as they arrived. Ben Rhodes’ No. 99 ThorSport Racing championship-winning entry was one of them, while Bob Tasca III’s blue-and-white Ford Funny Car was another.
Inside the building, along the back wall, a journey through history awaited attendees. In neatly-arranged shadow boxes, Ford had compiled highlights of the company’s racing record book.
It started with the famed “Sweepstakes” car, which was built and raced in 1901, and continued through Ford’s first decade of NASCAR, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Baja 1000.
One theme of the evening was Ford’s off-road racing ambitions.
As such, two-time King of the Hammers champion Loren Healy was one of the speakers, with Formula Drift turned off-road racer Vaughn Gittin Jr. also making an appearance.
Dark Horse NASCAR Debut Is Fast-Approaching
Last year’s Cup Series champion Blaney graced the stage early in the night with his easy smile and ever-humble attitude.
“As a kid, I just wanted to be like my dad and have opportunities at the NASCAR level,” said Blaney, who has been a Ford driver for over 10 years. “To bring (Ford) a championship and cap off two in a row, with Joey (Logano) winning last year, you just can’t ask for anything better.”
He also mentioned Ford’s sweep of the NASCAR titles, with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer earning the Xfinity Series championship and Rhodes claiming his second Truck Series title last year.
This season Ford will debut the Mustang Dark Horse in both the Cup and Xfinity Series.
“From a performance standpoint, we all feel confident that the Dark Horse is going to help us make a step forward, and so everybody’s optimistic going into it,” said Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell. “But you don’t know until you get to the race track. We’ll see once we get to Daytona.”
Ford Explains Formula 1 Return
Perez had an on-stage discussion with Ford Motor Co. President Jim Farley regarding the manufacturer’s effort to return to Formula 1 in 2026. In a partnership with Red Bull Racing — the F-1 team Perez competes for — Ford is developing a next-generation engine that will power a grand prix car in 2026.
“We have a lot of work to do on the powertrain, but I’m happy with the progress,” Farley noted.
Perez added, “Yes, 2026 seems like it’s miles away, but in Formula 1, it goes really fast.”
Farley also explained the move back to the international series is about pushing Ford to match the high-level technology that is found on the F-1 grid, whether it be regarding aerodynamics or digital diagnostics.
That, in turn, provides a sort of R&D opportunity for Ford to gather data they can then use to power the electric vehicles on the assembly line in Detroit, Mich.
Other Takeaways
Among the other drivers in attendance were 10-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz, NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie Hailie Deegan and the Stewart-Haas Racing crew of Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece.
The gala night concluded with a concert by Chase Rice.