The Blue Oval’s motorsports efforts will soon enter a new era, thanks to the recently revealed all-new seventh generation Ford Mustang, specifically the Dark Horse. As a preview of what’s to come, the 2023 Ford Mustang GT “Gen3” supercar took to the track for the 2023 Australian Supercars Championship, though it hasn’t made it to American soil quite yet. That hasn’t stopped current Ford racers from eyeballing the new race car – and for NASCAR driver Austin Cindric, it’s got some serious curb appeal, according to a recent report from NBC Sports.
Cindric, who regularly drives the No. 2 NASCAR Next Gen Mustang in the Cup Series and is the 2022 Daytona 500 champion, has yet to drive the Ford Mustang GT3, but it’s definitely something he wants to do.
“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said during a press conference, referencing the video that Ford released upon introduction of the Mustang GT3. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”
Cindric, so far, has been the only fulltime Cup Series racer to compete in the 24 Hours of Daytona over the last few years. In fact, Ford will take the Mustang GT3 to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024, competing in the GTD Pro class, while customer cars will be available for competition in the GT Daytona division. IMSA racing has attracted a fair amount of NASCAR drivers as of late, and the Mustang GT3 could make it more viable for stock car drivers to exercise their talent in an endurance setting.
Austin Cindric in Victory Lane at Daytona
“Now how [the GT3 Mustang] relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex [24 Hours of Daytona], could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”
We’ll have more on the seventh-generation Mustang soon, so subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Mustang news, Ford racing news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
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