All the racing world’s eyes will be on the Motor City on Jan. 15, specifically at the newly renovated Michigan Central Station, when Ford Racing will host its Season Launch event in conjunction with the spotlight being on Detroit for the annual Auto Show.

Mark Rushbrook, global director for Ford Racing, says he wanted a special location for the unveiling.

“This iconic landmark, steeped in the city’s spirit of grit, perseverance, and undeniable love for cars, is the perfect place to kick off an epic year on the track and in the dirt. It’s a powerful statement, complementing the energy of the 2026 Detroit Auto Show happening the same week, truly making Detroit the global hub of automotive excitement,” Rushbrook said. 

Rushbrook said all elements of the Ford Racing lineup will be on display.

“From the thunderous roar of NASCAR to the grueling challenges of Mustang endurance sports car racing, and the relentless grit of our off-road teams tackling Dakar and Baja — every facet of Ford’s global racing prowess will be on full display. This isn’t just a launch; it’s a declaration of intent across every racing discipline, a true embodiment of the “Go Like Hell” spirit that drives us,” he explained.

Beyond racecars, Rushbrook said the event will also feature an exclusive sneak peek at an all-new Ford Racing production road car.

BROOKLYN, Mich. — They say every lap counts in racing, but most importantly the last lap counts.

Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney proved that to be the case on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, when he led the final 8 laps to take the victory in his Ford after the race was dominated by Chevy drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron.

A strong push by Kyle Busch on the last restart, reminiscent of the type of push needed to win at superspeedway tracks, helped Blaney’s cause as he battled for the win.

“Yeah, got a great push by the 18 on the restart, was able to get clear there. Michigan is a matter of pretty much running wide open and trying to play the air game. I hate you have to race that way. That's how you have to run. Worked out for us,” Blaney said.

As I watched Joey Logano’s car turned into a lawn mower, Jimmie Johnson take a brutal hit into the wall, and so many other cars losing sheet metal today, part of me was thinking that this Busch Clash crashfest (which came late in the race after mostly single file racing through the early parts) may be an anomaly. It’s a non-points race, first of the season, etc., and won’t carry over to Sunday’s Daytona 500.

But that part of me is probably wrong. My other half, the realistic one, knows that winning the Daytona 500 is probably going to be the biggest win of their career for most of the drivers on the grid. So while I’m somewhat confident we’ll have more than 6 cars finishing the Daytona 500, don’t be surprised if the crazy blocks and big-time wrecks just keep on coming when the field of 40 takes the green on Feb. 16.