August 4th 2025

Mustang Challenge North America to Visit Six Premier Tracks in 2026

Mustang Challenge North America announced it will compete at six legendary racetracks in 2026. Utilizing the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, based closely on the road going Ford Mustang Dark Horse, the two-class championship will run a 12-race season opening in March and celebrating its champions in September. Ford’s top one-make race series, a key training step on the Ford Motorsports Pyramid, will be entering its third season.

“Every decision for Mustang Challenge North America is for the best experience of our customer,” said Ford Performance Global One Make Series Manager Chris Ward. “The schedule is a critical first step to each season as it sets the tone for the year. We feel we have the best blend of tracks for our drivers and teams as well as their families. The calendar has us in the paddock of premier tracks with the top sports car racing series in the world, surrounded by the Mustang GT4 and GT3 race cars many of our drivers aspire to drive.”

Mustang Challenge North America is open to drivers who hold up to an FIA silver rating and features two classes — Dark Horse and Dark Horse Legends. All drivers can compete in the Dark Horse class while the Legends class is an optional categorization for any bronze-level driver who is 45 years old and over. Each Mustang Challenge race weekend features two 30-minute practice sessions, one 15-minute qualifying session, and two 45-minute sprint races. Each driver competes behind the wheel of a Mustang Dark Horse R, a car similar to the production Mustang Dark Horse but with minor modifications to make it race ready. With 500+ horsepower from the 5.0-liter V8 linked to a manual transmission and channeled to the ground through the rear wheels, the Dark Horse R is the perfect launching point to train drivers in the art of auto racing.

2026 Mustang Challenge North America Calendar