DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford has revealed the new 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang race car.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang marks the fifth new motorsports Mustang unveiled in the past year. It joins the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, National Hot Rod Association Funny Car division, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, and grassroots Cobra Jet, which have all found their way to the winner’s circle in their respective forms of racing.
The new racing Mustangs all were projects that included members of Ford’s engineering and aerodynamics teams based out of the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, NC. The facility has evolved from a racing-only facility to a test-bed of development for production vehicles as well as motorsports including the all-new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.
“We’ve always talked about Mustang being a car that was born to race, and it’s been gratifying to see it performing so well in multiple series around the world,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “It’s a credit to all of our engineers and teams that have worked so hard to make Mustang a championship contender right out of the box.”
In addition to the new motorsports Mustangs, Ford also competes with the Mustang GT4 in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series in North America, and the FIA British GT4 Championship in Europe.
In 2019, Team Penske captured five of the first 15 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events with drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick has also won two Cup events, including this past weekend at Michigan International Speedway.
“Ford and NASCAR have enjoyed a long and storied partnership, and the iconic Mustang has solidified its place within that legacy with an impressive performance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR managing director of racing operations and international development. “We’re looking forward to seeing what the newest generation of the Mustang will do on the track.”
In NHRA Funny Car drag racing competition, Bob Tasca III recently won back-to-back events in Bristol, Tenn., and Norwalk, Ohio.
The previous Xfinity Mustang started racing full-time in 2011, winning the driver’s championship three times and the owner’s title on six occasions.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won back-to-back driver’s championships in 2011 and 2012, with car owner Jack Roush taking the manufacturer’s crown in 2011. Chris Buescher followed with the driver’s title in 2015 while fellow Ford owner Roger Penske capped off a run that saw him win three straight owner’s championships. Penske added a fourth owner’s title in 2017 before Tony Stewart and Gene Haas won their first with driver Cole Custer last season.
“When you think of muscle cars you think of Mustang and for us in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this is huge,” said Custer. “Anytime you get a new body style it’s going to mean improved performance and that’s something we’re all excited about. I hear from Ford fans all the time about how happy they are that we’re racing Mustang in NASCAR, and I think they’re going to be even happier once they see this new car on the track.”