Ford is in the midst of a motorsports resurgence, reclaiming its place at the forefront of racing. The Blue Oval’s brand new era started with the advent of the Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which has spearheaded the automaker’s racing efforts in NASCAR, IMSA, and myriad other international racing series. That motorsports push isn’t a new concept – in fact, Ford Performance is borrowing from itself, inspired by its own “Total Performance” marketing from the 1960s.
Over 60 years ago, Total Performance was a global advertising campaign that put Ford in the spotlight on the international stage. The strategy leveraged Ford’s success in motorsports to generate excitement and interest in its road-going models, emphasized by the success of the Ford GT40 in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Today, Ford is employing a similar strategy, using motorsports to prove its mettle and draw attention, according to a report from Road & Track.
“We’re as committed as ever to win races and championships,” said Mark Rushbrook, director of Ford Performance.
And he’s got the stats to back that statement up. Even though the season is still young, 2025 has been incredible for The Blue Oval, opening with a victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona when the Ford Mustang GT3 outran a Corvette for the GTD Pro class win. The Ford Raptor T1+ captured a stage win in the 2025 Dakar Rally, following it up with a second stage victory before rolling out of the Saudi Arabian desert with a podium finish under its belt. Cam Waters of Australian Supercars swept all three rounds in Sydney last weekend, earning the max number of points possible – a feat that only one other driver has matched in the series’ history.
Don’t forget the Ford Red Bull Racing F1 project, which will begin racing in 2026, and the automaker’s triumphant return to prototype racing is on the horizon for the 2027 season. While motorsports serves as a test bed for tech advancements more than anything, Ford is taking the spirit of Total Performance to customers’ driveways, just like it did in the ’60s.
Comment
Well, according to Mr. Farley, the emphasis is really focused on technology advancements for inclusion into future products. The higher profile in market visibility is also a goal, but what I’ve read on this forum and others, the prior is the main corporate focus