2010 Ford Mustang Joins NASCAR Nationwide Series

At least one ponycar is destined for NASCAR’s Nationwide Series, as Ford confirmed it would offer a Mustang stock car to teams next year.






“We’re excited about the new car,” said NASCAR president Mike Helton. “It’s going to be one good-looking race car.”


Judging by the rendering released by Ford, that last point may a matter of semantics. A lot of the Mustang’s visual identity, especially in the front fascia, seems to have been abandoned in the pursuit of aerodynamic perfection. Still, this is simply a rendering. We’ve yet to see the finalized car, and for that matter, NASCAR has yet to reveal the finalized body template.

“I think race fans--and Mustang loyalists--will be very pleased when we publicly roll out the first car later this fall,” said Brian Wolfe, director of Ford’s North American motorsports operations.

“We had been talking with NASCAR for some time about Mustang as part of its vision for a ‘muscle car’ rollout for the Nationwide Series. We loved the idea, so we jumped on the chance to extend Mustang’s racing legacy to a new series.”

We’re eager not only to see the finalized car, but also to take a look at whatever competitor Dodge may field. Early photos of a test vehicle showed a blunt nose that closely resembled the production Challenger. To date, Dodge hasn’t revealed its new Nationwide Series car, or commented on its future involvement in the series, given Chrysler’s recent financial woes.