AVONDALE, Ariz. — After a mediocre NASCAR season with its present Mustang, Ford Efficiency mentioned Wednesday it can use its top-of-the-line Darkish Horse within the Cup Sequence subsequent 12 months.

The Darkish Horse is taken into account the blue-ribbon mannequin of the Mustang lineup, with a beginning price ticket for shoppers near $60,000.

Joey Logano gained the Cup title final 12 months within the Mustang and Ryan Blaney will probably be in a Ford on Sunday at Phoenix Raceway when he challenges for the championship within the closing race for the present mannequin. The Darkish Horse will make its NASCAR debut within the February exhibition opener on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Ford has gained simply eight of 35 races within the present Mustang this season, and though Ford certified six drivers for the 16-driver playoff subject, defending champion Logano and Kevin Harvick have been eradicated within the first spherical and prime workforce Stewart-Haas Racing is winless this season.

“We expect we have got an excellent highway automobile lineup with the Mustang, but additionally took the choice to decide to a seventh-generation Mustang on the highway and in addition race it world wide,” mentioned Mark Rushbrook, international director of Ford Efficiency Motorsports. “Now to be on the cusp of displaying the brand new Mustang Darkish Horse for NASCAR Cup racing is thrilling, and we wish to compete and win world wide with Mustang and many of the variations world wide are the Darkish Horse.”

The Mustang will probably be eligible to race on six continents subsequent season, from Bathurst to Le Mans and Daytona to Silverstone.

The Darkish Horse was unveiled simply over a 12 months in the past as the primary new efficiency nameplate for Mustang since 2001. It’s the most track-capable 5.0-liter V8 street-legal Mustang ever and was the inspiration for the Mustangs racing this 12 months in Australia and the Components Drift collection.

The Darkish Horse will probably be eligible to compete in GT3 and GT4 lessons globally subsequent 12 months, and the Darkish Horse R will compete within the Mustang Problem Sequence and lots of grassroots racing occasions.

“If she gallops as quick as she appears to be like, it’ll be 12 months,” mentioned Brad Keselowski, driver and co-owner of RFK Racing. “Mustang is an iconic American automobile made well-known world wide. I consider how Mustang has advanced over time and the way NASCAR has advanced together with it they usually’re simply two manufacturers that go collectively. I am proud to get to drive it and proud to have the ability to compete for the win on this automobile.”

The Mustang has competed in NASCAR because it entered Xfinity Sequence competitors in 2011. The Mustang has gained a driver’s or proprietor’s championship in 9 of 12 Xfinity Sequence seasons. Ford gained the Xfinity producer’s titles in 2011 and 2013.

The Mustang entered Cup in 2019, and in 2021, when NASCAR launched the Subsequent Gen automobile, Ford’s design was broadly considered the sleekest of the muscle automobiles. The present Mustang has gained a producer’s championship, a series-best 18 races in 2020 and a driver’s championship with Logano in 2022.

The Mustang has twice gained the Daytona 500 and has wins within the Southern 500 and Brickyard 400. It additionally gained the inaugural Conflict on the Coliseum within the debut of the present Subsequent Gen period.