DEARBORN, MI — Ford Performance has unveiled the new Mustang for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series based on the Mustang Dark Horse. After a busy year of Mustang racing news, this 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Mustang is the icing on the cake for the full family of performance Mustang cars.

Based on the seventh-generation Mustang, this Dark Horse version adds to the impressive lineup of racing Mustangs, and means that starting in 2024, Mustang will be eligible to race on six continents.

“What a crazy year it has been revealing our new global Mustangs for racing. 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,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “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.”

Ford unveiled the all-new Mustang Dark Horse just over a year ago, marking the first new performance nameplate for Mustang since 2001. It is the most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever and has inspired the current roster of Mustang cars that started racing this year in the Repco Supercars Championship in Australia and Formula Drift series.

BROOKLYN, Mich. — When this week’s race at MIS is run (could be Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, depending on how the weather cooperates), several drivers jump to the top of the list when we think about possible winners.

The Closer

First and foremost is Kevin Harvick, who has taken home 5 of the last 7 race wins at Michigan Speedway, a difficult feat to accomplish. He also has a 6th Michigan win earlier in his career, and has taken home one Xfinity Series checkered flag and a Truck Series win on top of the 6 Cup wins.

With this being Harvick’s final season before heading into the broadcast booth, it would be fitting it he continued to add to those records with a final win at Michigan. He’ll have to work for the win, as he’s starting from the 11th row, but if you’ve watched Harvick compete for the past 25 years or so, you know that showing up to take the glory at the end of a race is one of his specialties, so I wouldn’t be surprised one bit to see him fighting for the checkered flag.

Harvick talked a bit about his secrets for success at Michigan.

“I think Michigan is one of those places where car placement and just putting yourself in the right position lap after lap after lap, and not making the mistakes that cost you a half-a-second a lap, and just making a half-a-tenth-of-a-second mistake instead of making those big mistakes and losing track position, and just doing all the little things right, is what you need to do at Michigan,” he said.

Among automakers, it’s a bit of a race right now to see who can be the one to adapt to the electric vehicle future better than the rest.

Ford is starting to step up in this fight, as it recently announced that it will invest $22 billion in electric vehicles (and $7 billion in autonomous vehicles) through 2025. And it’s already selling new EV offerings such as the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning.

One step short of a full EV is a plug-in hybrid (or PHEV), and I recently had the chance to test a Ford offering in this realm: The Ford Escape PHEV. This type of vehicle is a good step for people who aren’t quite ready to rely on a fully electric vehicle, but want something other than a traditional ICE ride — either for environmental reasons, or just to get a break from the yo-yo gas prices we so often see.

I tested a 2021 Escape PHEV, but it carries over to the 2022 model year pretty much as-is, other than some new paint options.

Financial Times Future of the Car Summit USA returns to Detroit for Round Two in 2019 — featuring the best minds in the industry discussing the changes and challenges to come as new technology comes into play, and how key players can stay ahead of the curve.

Knowledge and preparation will make the difference between success and failure as the industry evolves, and key issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and other advances will be discussed by the key players in the industry at the Summit, scheduled for 8 a.m.-5.30 p.m. on October 29, 2019, at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, 400 Renaissance Drive in Detroit.  

The event will welcome representatives from OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, dealerships, insurance providers, law firms, transportation companies and more. Public sector attendees will include state leaders in finance and transportation, as well as investment leaders from America’s largest cities. 

Confirmed attendees for 2019 include executives from Kia, FCA, Jaguar/Land Rover, Kawasaki, Ford, General Motors, Audi and AM General. More than 150 of the most influential players in the industry are expected in total.

Attendees in 2018 included: AAM, AM General, Bridgestone, Daimler, FCA, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Isuzu, Karma Automotive, Kawasaki, Lyft, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, PSA, Toyota, Uber, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Those in attendance will have a chance to:

• Connect with automotive thought leaders from around the world
• Meet new players in the industry and explore strategic partnerships 
• Hear updates on demand patterns in the global automotive market
• Explore the latest breakthroughs in connectivity and automation