Ford Racing Embraces Retro Race Cars With Mustang Cup Classic

Opening the corral to classic pony performance, Ford Racing is offering a proper competitive outlet for its factory-built classics as part of the 2026 Mustang Cup North America season. The Blue Oval’s in-house performance division is launching Mustang Cup Classic, a new class aimed at putting proven factory-prepped race Mustangs back on track in a professionally run, USAC-sanctioned series.

“This class will celebrate the rich racing history of this millennium’s Ford Mustangs,” Chris Ward, Manager of Ford Racing Global One Make Series, said. “In allowing select Mustang models to compete alongside the current generation Mustang Dark Horse R cars that currently make up the entry point of its Motorsports Pyramid, Mustang Cup Classic will introduce a lower barrier of entry for competition-oriented owners of these recent-generation Mustangs.”

Mustang Cup Classic expands the Mustang Cup program, which debuted in 2025 around the 500-plus-horsepower Mustang Dark Horse R. While the Dark Horse R remains the headline act, the new class opens the door for earlier Ford Racing-built Mustangs that still have plenty of life left in them and a long racing résumé to back it up.

Eligible cars include the 2005–2010 FR500C, 2008 FR500S, 2011–2014 Boss 302R, 2012–2014 Boss 302S, and the 2017 FP350S. These cars competed at high levels in series such as Grand-Am Cup, Pirelli World Challenge, and SCCA Touring competition. In the Mustang Cup Classic class, performance will be balanced using a simple power-to-weight formula intended to keep racing close without adding unnecessary complexity.

“We want the competitors to be able to focus on racing, so the rules for Mustang Cup Classic will be straightforward,” Ward explained.

Classic competitors will run on the same Yokohama tire platform as the Dark Horse R field and operate within the same professional race-weekend structure. Required equipment includes radios, transponders, and official series branding, all under USAC race control. Split starts will be used to keep the Classic and Dark Horse R fields separated while allowing both groups to race hard within their respective classes.

Ford Racing and USAC are also focused on participation. A referral program allows a full-season Classic driver to earn a season entry-fee waiver by bringing in another full-season Classic competitor. Early registration incentives further reduce entry costs compared to the standard Mustang Cup rate.

“Alongside the introduction of Mustang Cup Classic, we are working in partnership with USAC and Yokohama to maximize return for competitors,” Ward added. “Each of us is taking steps to manage our aspect of team budgets, from condensing race weekends to lower travel costs, to reducing entry fees and operating expenditures.”

What makes Mustang Cup Classic especially compelling for fans is the grid itself. In 2026, fans will see FR500s, Boss 302 race cars, and FP350S machines back in wheel-to-wheel competition, not as museum pieces, but as competitive race cars. It’s a cool opportunity to watch some of Ford Racing’s most respected modern road-race Mustangs line up together and do exactly what they were built to do.