Zane Smith knew he was driving something different when the blue Ford oval decal on the hood of his Mustang flew off during his very first run at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Front Row Motorsports driver was behind the wheel of Ford’s new 2027 NASCAR Cup Series Mustang Dark Horse SC, and his first impressions after two days of testing were overwhelmingly positive.

More importantly, he believes the new car could give Ford teams an advantage on intermediate tracks.

Smith was selected to evaluate the new Mustang during a two-day Goodyear tire test at Charlotte. Writing in a first-person account published by Ford on From the Road blog, he revealed that the programme produced 630 laps, allowing him to compare the new machine directly with the current Cup car at the same venue.

“I was able to compare what I felt with our current car to how the new car reacted on the same track and my first thoughts are all positive,” Smith wrote. The comparison was particularly useful because he had already raced at Charlotte shortly before the test, completing another 267 laps.

The most encouraging difference concerned grip and corner entry. Smith explained that the new Mustang allowed him to attack the corners more confidently than the current car, something that could prove important when Ford’s teams begin using it in competition next season.

“Overall, I feel the SC is going to help us be more competitive on the intermediate tracks because we had more grip and I was able to get into the corners better than I could with our current car,” he added.

That is an encouraging assessment for Ford, particularly considering that Charlotte’s changing track conditions gave Smith a demanding environment in which to evaluate the car. He recalled arriving at the speedway at 8 a.m. and finding an unusually high level of grip. However, the conditions did not remain consistent throughout the day.

The track started with plenty of grip before becoming considerably slicker around lunchtime. Grip gradually returned as the day progressed, giving Smith an opportunity to experience different conditions rather than evaluating the Mustang during one narrow window.

“The whole first day was interesting because it would start out with a ton of grip and then by our lunch break, it was back to having none at all. As the day went on, the grip started trending back,” he explained.

Smith also had plenty to say about the visual transformation. Although the car was covered in Ford Racing camouflage during the test, the resemblance to the production Mustang Dark Horse SC was immediately apparent to him. The front end, in particular, stood out, while the rear design gave the car a more “aggressive” appearance.

Ford unveiled the new Cup Series Mustang publicly on Nov. 11 at Daytona, confirming how closely the racing version takes inspiration from the road-going Dark Horse SC. Ford has focused particularly on the front-end design, incorporating an aggressive nose that retains the road car’s identity and improves cooling, while also being designed to generate additional downforce on the race-spec car.

The road-going Mustang Dark Horse SC features a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 producing up to 795 horsepower and 660 lb-ft of torque. This is not to be confused with the NASCAR car’s specifications, which remain governed by the series’ technical regulations.

Ford global director Mark Rushbrook explained that the project followed the manufacturer’s philosophy of allowing road-car development and motorsport engineering to influence one another. The Mustang will make its competitive debut during Daytona Speedweeks, culminating in the 2027 Daytona 500 on Feb. 21.

The timing of this reveal is particularly interesting. Dodge is finally ending its 14-year absence from NASCAR’s premier division, as it returns with Kaulig Racing and two Charger-branded entries. AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon will drive the cars, giving the series four manufacturers alongside Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota.

The Ford Mustang entered the Cup Series full-time in 2019, replacing the Fusion, thus remaining well-established in the Cup Series. Joey Logano won championships in 2022 and 2024, while Ryan Blaney secured the crown in 2023. The model has also accumulated 80 Cup victories, including wins in major events such as the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

Meanwhile, Dodge, which won the championship in 2012 before its exit, has had to begin from scratch again. The carmaker has passed NASCAR’s wind-tunnel approval stage and is preparing to reveal its new Charger on Dec. 4 at the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.

While Ford ended its 2026 season dead last in the manufacturer’s rankings, Smith’s findings will therefore be encouraging for a manufacturer that will be up against an expanded competitive field. A new body alone does not guarantee better results, and the Charlotte test remains an early evaluation rather than a definitive performance comparison. Nevertheless, 630 laps have given Ford valuable information before the new Mustang reaches competition.

Smith is already looking forward to seeing the finished car under the lights at Daytona. After experiencing its first proper test, he believes Ford has made a promising start. The bigger examination, however, will come when the Mustang lines up against Dodge, Chevrolet and Toyota for the opening race of 2027.