“This addition to the Mustang Cup series aims to further increase Ford’s involvement and investment in grassroots racing, which has played an important role in our past and will continue to play an important role in our future,” said Chris Ward manager of Ford Racing Global One Make Series. “This class will celebrate the rich racing history of this millennium’s Ford Mustangs. 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,” said Ward.

“We want the competitors to be able to focus on racing, so the rules for Mustang Cup Classic will be straightforward. For equipment regulations, Mustang Cup Classic cars will run on the same Yokohama tires as the Dark Horse R race cars. Cars will be required to have radio, transponder, series decals, and the USAC yellow flag system. To differentiate the Classic entrants from the current Dark Horse and Dark Horse Legends classes, at the green flag of each combined race, there will be a split start between the Dark Horse R cars and Mustang Cup Classic cars.

“Alongside the introduction of Mustang Cup Classic, we are working in partnership with USAC and Yokohama to maximize return for competitors. 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. USAC is implementing a “bring a friend, race on us” program. Any competitor who refers a driver to the series that results in a registration for the full Mustang Cup season will get their entry fees for the full season covered by USAC.

“For Mustang Cup Classic competitors, the entry fee per weekend for the first 15 competitors to register will be $1,000 less than the standard Mustang Cup entry fee, ensuring entry costs are not a barrier to entry for prospective Mustang Cup Classic racers.

“Each of these Mustang models have found success in the road racing world, competing — and winning — in series like the Grand Am Cup Series, Pirelli World Challenge, and SCCA Touring Championships. Performance for these different cars will be equalized using a simple power to weight ratio system that is already used extensively in other regional series where these cars are eligible to compete,” claimed Ward.