All-new 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang Ready to Shake & Bake
Ford unveils its fifth new Mustang race car in the last year but this one’s made specifically to pummel the circuit.
If you’re feeling deja vu when it comes to seeing racing versions of Ford’s iconic Mustang, well, you aren’t alone. After all, the Blue Oval has introduced five all-new Mustang racers in the last year alone. The latest of that group comes to us in stock car form. Or, what’s otherwise known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang.
Developed as a joint effort between Ford Design and the Ford Performance Technical Center, it joins the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, National Hot Rod Association Funny Car division, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, and drag racing Cobra Jet Mustangs in a well-rounded lineup.
Xfinity & Beyond
Granted, Ford didn’t really have a choice but to develop a Mustang body for Xfinity. After all, they’ve axed pretty much the rest of the passenger car lineup, so it was essentially inevitable. But that doesn’t make this pony-fied stock car any less cool in our book. Even if stiff regulations mean that only the front and rear of the car actually look like a production S550.
Regardless of the circumstances that led to it, the latest Mustang has thus far proved to be a resounding success in the racing world. In the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, it’s won 17 of the first 20 races of the season. Ford has already clinched the Supercars Manufacturer’s Championship just halfway through the season. DJR Team Penske has won 16 of the events, including defending champion Scott McLaughlin’s 14 victories.
The last Xfinity Mustang started racing full-time in 2011, winning the driver’s championship three times and the owner’s title six times. Ford hopes to build on that prior success with a strong team this coming season. Team Penske captured five of the first 15 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events with drivers Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick has also won two Cup events, including a recent victory at Michigan International Speedway.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won back-to-back driver’s championships in 2011 and 2012, with car owner Jack Roush taking the manufacturer’s crown in 2011. Chris Buescher followed with the driver’s title in 2015. That same year, fellow Ford owner Roger Penske capped off a run that saw him win three straight owner’s championships. Penske added a fourth owner’s title in 2017 before Tony Stewart and Gene Haas won their first with driver Cole Custer last season.
Thus, if the new NASCAR Xfinity Series Ford Mustang performs as good as it looks, we only expect that success to continue. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until the oval track maven makes its race debut to find out. And that happens during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 15.
Photos: Ford Motor Company
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