The resurgence of the Fords in the current season was perhaps marked by RFK Racing‘s Chris Buescher winning back-to-back regular-season races at Richmond and Michigan. And that momentum of the Ford performance has translated into the house of Penske as Ryan Blaney became the only Ford driver to clench a spot in the most coveted Championship 4 race.

With that, Ford has bigger plans for the upcoming season. And that mostly revolves around a brand new model of the Ford Mustang that they unveiled just over a year ago, which marked the first new performance nameplate for the Mustang since 2001. Nevertheless, this beast is quite heavy in the pocket. In spite of that, Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, shed light on why that will not hinder the car’s marketability.

The goal has never been to sell individual models, says Rushbrook

The Ford Mustang and the Ford F-150—these two models have been ruling the three top-tier NASCAR racing series for quite some time now. And now, it’s time for a newer and cooler Ford Dark Horse to set the stage of NASCAR by fire as it revs its most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 engine.

Speaking of V8 engines, even the Australian Supercars and the Formula Drift series driving this year derived inspiration from the Dark Horse. But this elite blue-ribbon model is worth a fortune. The starting price for the average NASCAR fan has been set at a whopping $60,000. This might come off as a shock to the masses, as not everyone can afford a car worth sixty grand.

According to Rushbrook however, that should not stand in the way of the customers choosing the brand. He explained that for them, it’s not about selling the individual models. “It is as much or more about Ford than about Mustang or Dark Horse specifically… for us, racing on Sunday or winning on Sunday and selling on Monday is more about Ford than it is about Mustang or even Dark Horse.”

“We sell a lot more F-150s on Mondays or as a result of being in NASCAR than we do sell Mustangs and it’s been that way for quite some time. At the end of the day, it’s more about selling the overall brand than selling a specific model,” he added.

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The Dark Horse is expected to run for the first time in the NASCAR Cup Series in the 2024 season. All things considered, can this new car outperform the previous Ford Mustang models? Here’s what the Ford athletes say about that:

Cup Series drivers are quite hopeful about the Ford Mustang Dark Horse

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The Dark Horse will make its Cup Series debut in the opening race of the NASCAR 2024 schedule in February at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Moreover, this car will also run overseas, from Bathurst to Le Mans and from Daytona to Silverstone. On top of that, the Dark Horse will be eligible to unleash its fury in the GT3 and GT4 classes globally, besides competing in the Mustang Challenge Series and several other racing events.

According to Brad Keselowski, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse could result in a good year for RFK Racing. As reported by ESPN, the #6 driver said, “If she gallops as fast as she looks, it’s going to be a good year. Mustang is an iconic American car made famous around the world. I think of how Mustang has evolved over the years and how NASCAR has evolved along with it and they’re just two brands that go together. I’m proud to get to drive it and proud to be able to compete for the win in this car.”

The hopes revolving around the Dark Horse are so high that even bigshot NASCAR teams like Stewart-Haas Racing had their drivers speak of it. “The best-looking Cup car out of the three manufacturers,” said Chase Briscoe, driver of the #14 Ford Mustang, according to motorsport.com.

“I feel like the Ford Performance team does a great job of making our car to where it can still perform on the race track, but also tie into that look of the street car,” he added. Needless to say, Mark Rushbrook is overwhelmingly positive about the response that this stock car model will receive from the motorsports community.

“What a crazy year it has been revealing our new global Mustangs for racing,” said Rushbrook. “The positive response from our fans around the world has been amazing, and we’re confident that this Mustang ‘Dark Horse’ Cup car will be no different and that NASCAR fans will be excited to cheer us on next year.”

“Our Ford Performance staff, together with our NASCAR race teams, have worked tirelessly in the wind tunnel developing this car, and I can’t wait to finally see it race on the track next season,” he admitted.

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Although the fans would have to wait a few more months before they finally get a sneak peek at what this new machine can do on NASCAR’s ovals, what do you think about Ford’s newest model, judging it just by its looks? Do let us know in the comments below!