Giddy Up, Pony(car): NASCAR Introduces all-new Ford Mustang Dark Horse for '24
NASCAR will be galloping around with some exciting new racehorses next season wearing the blue oval badge with Ford's new Mustang Dark Horse.
The Dark Horse, which will also see its 2024 debut in IMSA, is the first confirmed of the rumored three new car designs, with Toyota and Chevy both slated to get a revamp for either the '24 or '25 seasons.
The design features a more condensed front grill design and "hood wings," if you will, making the car much more distinct from its predecessors.
"What a crazy year it has been revealing our new global Mustangs for racing," said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. "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."
This new breed of Mustang will make its competitive world premiere at none other than the Clash at The Coliseum in Los Angeles, with Stewart Hass Racing, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Front Row Motorsports, Team Penske/Wood Brothers, and Rick Ware Racing all receiving the new update.
Beyond the design and look of the car, it will be interesting to see how the car performs on track compared to the most recent car. Expect to see the aerodynamics of the car to be a bit different, but not a complete overhaul.
In regards to the change as a whole, this is actually a smart decision by NASCAR. While it may be a design change that wasn't really needed, it helps continue to globalize NASCAR, which is something that the series has truly tried to grasp with this new Next Gen era.
With IMSA also bringing in the Mustang Dark Horse, it brings both series together even more and it should hopefully bring together both audiences, a positive gain for each respective series.
Don't be surprised if we see some NASCAR Ford drivers step into some of the new Ford Mustang Dark Horses in IMSA, especially maybe in the new Mustang Challenge that is set to debut next season.
There should be a lot of good that comes from this change and Ford will truly have its world premiere to show what could be next with this new car.