Ford Racing Explained
Ford Racing (formerly Ford Performance) is the high-performance division of the Ford Motor Company and the multinational name used for its motorsport and racing activity.
History
- 1896 – Henry Ford reached a top speed of 20 mph in his first car, Quadricycle.
- 1901 – Henry Ford defeated Alexander Winton (the most accomplished automobile builder/racer of the era) in a 10-lap race on a one-mile oval at the Detroit Driving Club, Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He overcame his rival's more powerful car in Sweepstakes, a racing car of his own design.[1]
- 1902 – Ford 999 (named after a famous New York Central train), driven by Barney Oldfield, Master Driver of the World and America's Legendary Speed King, defeated Alex Winton at Grosse Point in the 999 as a result of the publicity and financial backing of Alex J. Malcomson the Ford Motor Company was launched
- 1903 – Ford 999, driven by Oldfield, lapped the Indiana Fairgrounds dirt track at a then-record 60 mph?
- 1904 – Henry Ford, driving his rebuilt 999, sets the world one mile record on a frozen lake near Detroit.
- 1904 – Frank Kulick drove a Ford 20 hp racer to the one and five mile world track record for middleweight racers.
- 1907 – Kulick set the world 24-hour track endurance record, traveling 1135 miles driving a Ford six cyl Model K.
- 1909 – A Ford Model T won the transcontinental New York to Seattle cross-country race (about 3600 km).
- 1932 – Ford introduced its V-8 Flathead engine, bringing V-8 power into mass production with the slogan "Everyman’s power for the road, and Everyman’s power for racing".
- 1932 – Two car mechanics win the Swedish Winter Grand Prix driving a Ford special.[2]
- 1936 – Ionel Zamfirescu and P. G. Cristea won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Ford V8 "Flathead".[3] [4]
- 1949 – Jim Roper, driving a Lincoln, won the first NASCAR race.[5]
- 1950 – Jimmy Florian, driving a Ford, wins the first NASCAR race in a Ford branded vehicle at Dayton Ohio[6]
- 1963 - Tiny Lund wins 1st Daytona 500 for Ford.
- 1965 - Jim Clark gives Ford its 1st of 6 Indy wins between 1965 and 1971. source: IRL: Ford clinches first Indianapolis 500 win
- 1967 – Jim Clark, driving a Lotus-Ford, won the Dutch Grand Prix. This is Ford's first grand prix victory.
- 1968 - Graham Hill, driving a Lotus-Ford, won both the driver's world championship and the constructor's world championship. This is Ford's first of both respective championship wins.
- 1976 - Ford via Cosworth won its 1st Indy 500 and would dominate Indy with the Cosworth DFX over the next 10 years by winning every race plus 2 more with the XB version for a 12 Indy win total between 1978 and 1996 The Ford-Cosworth DFX powered 81 consecutive Indy car victories from 1981 to 1986, and 153 victories total. Won all USAC and CART championships between 1977 and 1987. Source - Cosworth DFX Indy Engine
- 1994 - Michael Schumacher bags his first driver's world championship with Ford-powered Benetton B194 car.[7]
- 2000 - Dale Jarrett wins Ford's 10th Daytona 500.[8]
- 2003 – Giancarlo Fisichella, driving a Jordan-Ford, won the Brazilian Grand Prix.[9] This is Ford's 176th and last Grand Prix victory.
- 2011 – Trevor Bayne wins the Daytona 500 in a 1–2–3 finish for Ford.[10] It was Ford's 600th NASCAR victory.[11]
- 2012 – Michael Shank Racing wins the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona with a Ford engined Riley chassis (Allmendinger/Negri/Pew/Wilson),[12] Starworks Motorsport finishes 2nd in Grand-Am Daytona Prototype driver standings (Ryan Dalziel), and wins the 1st North American Endurance Championship, also with Ford power.
- 2013 – Greg Biffle wins the Quicken Loans 400,[13] Ford's 1000th NASCAR win.[14]
- 2014 – Debut of the Ford EcoBoost twin turbo engine for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates win the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring using the engine.[15]
- 2015 – Ford launches Ford Performance, merging Ford Racing, Ford Team RS and Special Vehicle Team (SVT) under one umbrella, as it also pledges to make 12 new performance vehicles by 2020.[16] Wins Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona overall with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (Kanaan / McMurray / Larson / Dixon) using Ford Ecoboost Riley DP.[17]
- 2016 – Ford entered four Ford GT cars in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro class, finished 1–3–4–10.
- 2018 – Joey Logano wins at Homestead Miami Speedway[18] and wins Ford Performance its first NASCAR cup championship since 2004 and First Manufacturer's Championship since 2002.
- 2023 – Ford announced their return as a Formula 1 engine manufacturer for 2026 after nearly 20 years of absence in Formula 1[19] and will partner with Red Bull Powertrains as Red Bull Ford Powertrains.[20] [21] Red Bull Ford Powertrains will supply engines to Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.[22]
- 2024 – As part of their partnership with Red Bull and the company's broader STEM and DEI initiatives to "further attract more women to the sport across all levels and roles", Ford signed a title partnership deal with Red Bull to form the Red Bull Ford Academy Programme in support of the team's F1 Academy drivers.[23] [24] [25]
- 2025 - Ford Performance rebrands as Ford Racing.[26]
Vehicles
This list only includes vehicles produced post 2016 after the merger of Ford Team RS and Special Vehicle Team,
Currently sold
- Ford Explorer ST
- Ford F-150 Raptor/Raptor R
- Ford Bronco Raptor
- Ford Ranger Raptor
- Ford Mustang GTD
Previously sold
Factory drivers
Current
Wins
| Series | Race
wins | Manufacturers
titles | Drivers
titles |
|---|
| Formula One | 176 | 10 | 13 |
| NASCAR | 728 | 17 | 11 |
| V8 Supercar | 415 | 6 | 26 | |
Ford Racing teams
Formula One
NASCAR
Cup Series
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
Truck Series
Australia Supercars Championship
World Endurance Championship
Past teams
Racecars
See also
Notes and References
- http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=103&i=3023 Ford Centenary
- Web site: GRAND PRIX RĂ„MENLOPPET 1933 ! (GRAND PRIX MOTOR RACING SWEDEN WINTER 1933). 15 January 2013 . www.youtube.com.
- Web site: Ford Manufacturer Profile & Rally History . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216120530/http://www.rallye-info.com/carmake_profile.asp?make=1 . 2018-12-16 . 2011-03-10.
- Book: Loizidis, Georgios P. . The History and Politics of Motor Racing: Lives in the Fast Lane . Palgrave Macmillan . 2023 . 9783031228247 . Sturm . Damion . 151 . Wagg . Stephen . Andrews . David L..
- Web site: NASCAR.COM - Ford Racing timeline - Nov 22, 2006 . www.nascar.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061126083708/http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/11/22/ford.timeline/index.html . 2006-11-26.
- Web site: Articles .
- News: 23 February 2021 . The Benetton B194: Michael Schumacher's First Championship Car . F1 Chronicle.
- News: 27 October 2024 . Dale Jarrett: NASCAR Cup Series champion with 3 Daytona 500 wins . The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
- News: Elson . James . 30 June 2020 . F1's Great Drives: Giancarlo Fisichella - 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix . Motor Sport.
- News: Bernstein . Viv . 20 February 2011 . In Surprise Ending, Trevor Bayne Captures Daytona 500 . The New York Times.
- News: Bayne targets another Ford milestone . NASCAR.
- News: 22 January 2015 . Daytona qualifying: Negri shocks garage by winning Rolex 24 pole . The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
- News: Godwin . Kelly . 18 June 2013 . Speedway renovation plan draws rave reviews from racing community . The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
- News: Ford earns 1,000th NASCAR national series win . NASCAR.
- News: 17 March 2014 . Ford EcoBoost Engine Powers Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Riley Prototype to Victory in 12 Hours of Sebring . Ford Newsroom.
- News: Wendler . Andrew . 11 December 2014 . Ford Performance: New Brand Unifies SVT, RS, and Ford Racing Under Single Banner, Will Launch 12 New Vehicles by 2020 . Car and Driver.
- News: 26 January 2015 . Ford EcoBoost Powers Chip Ganassi Racing to Victory in Rolex 24 at 53rd Running of Daytona Endurance Classic . Ford Newsroom.
- News: Garrett . Jerry . 18 November 2018 . Joey Logano Wins Top Nascar Series, Holding Off 3 Predecessors . The New York Times.
- Web site: 2023-02-03 . Ford announce plans to return to F1 from the 2026 season . www.formula1.com . en.
- Web site: 2023-02-03 . Ford announce new technical partnership with Red Bull for 2026 and beyond . www.formula1.com . en.
- Web site: Breaking: Ford to partner with Red Bull for the 2026 season and beyond . Formula 1 Twitter . en.
- Web site: 2023-02-03 . Ford Returns To Formula 1; Strategic Partner To Oracle Red Bull Racing For 2026 Season And Beyond . Ford Media Center.
- Web site: Cooper . Adam . March 7, 2024 . Ford F1 Academy deal shows support for Red Bull . March 9, 2024 . .
- Web site: Red Bull Ford Academy Programme . March 13, 2024 . Red Bull Ford Academy Programme welcomes Ford as title partner of the Red Bull Ford Car . March 16, 2024 . .
- Web site: October 2, 2024 . Red Bull Ford recruit Chloe Chambers for 2025 F1 ACADEMY season Formula 1® . December 25, 2024 . . en.
- Web site: Ford Performance rebranded as it primes road-going racers. Autocar. Martin. Charlie. September 4, 2025. September 4, 2025.
