The new Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC will debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027, Ford Racing announced in a Thursday livestream.
The new design is based off the sports car Ford unveiled during its annual season launch with 2023 Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney behind the wheel, with the street car flexing a 5.2-liter V8 engine. The NASCAR edition will compete for the first time officially in the 2027 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.
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Ford introduced the Dark Horse Mustang in 2024, collecting the 2024 Cup championship with Joey Logano and 19 total wins in the two seasons since. The introduction of the Dark Horse SC — for “supercharger” — highlights the manufacturer’s next step in stock-car racing’s top level.
“This was really a dream project for the team,” Arie Groeneveld, Ford Racing’s chief project engineer, said during the event. “A chance to make a world-class performance icon true to its American muscle car roots using everything we’ve learned on the track.
“That 5.2-liter V8 uses a supercharger to generate massive airflow, bringing incredible power to a street Mustang. … It really is the most powerful Dark Horse we’ve ever released.”
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Hosted by Hollywood star Dax Sheppard, the event in Detroit, Michigan, featured racing icons from across multiple genres of racing, including retired Formula 1 racer Daniel Ricciardo, sports car ace Mike Rockenfeller and NASCAR stars Blaney, Logano, Chris Buescher and Zane Smith.
As the first to wheel out the Dark Horse SC, Blaney was enthusiastic for what lies ahead for Ford in the NASCAR world.
“It’s great that I got to drive it for the first time,” Blaney said. “The supercharged feeling is unbelievable. The carbon brakes are really amazing when you get on the track. You just want to punch it hard, brake late.”
Blaney then turned it over to Mark Rushbrook, Ford Racing’s global director, who announced the arrival of the Dark Horse SC in the NASCAR Cup Series.
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“In 2027, we will take the Dark Horse SC and debut it at America’s race track with America’s race team, the Daytona 500,” Rushbrook said.
Three teams field Fords in NASCAR, each with three cars under its banner: Team Penske with Blaney, Logano and Austin Cindric; RFK Racing with Buescher, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece; and Front Row Motorsports with Smith, Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson.
The first taste of NASCAR racing in 2026 comes in the exhibition Cook Out Clash on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The season will officially begin with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, HBO Max, MRN and SiriusXM.
