Say Hello to the NASCAR Mustang

With a front fascia designed to emulate the Mustang’s, and the distinctive galloping horse on its grille, the Mustang will be a worthy replacement for the Fusion, which is exiting the sport, and indeed North America. That said, the profile suffers slightly to conform to NASCAR’s rules.

“Ever since we announced in April that Mustang would be going to the Cup level in 2019, we’ve heard nothing but positive feedback,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Our Ford Performance team has worked hard with the Ford Design team to create a Mustang that will be competitive on the track while remaining true to its proud heritage. We can’t wait to see it winning races in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.”

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The Mustang has a rich history of racing. As early as 1964, it competed, taking on the Tour de France. It’s not all ancient history, though. It currently also races in Formula Drift, NASCAR Xfinity, and more.

“We look forward to seeing the Ford Mustang, a cultural icon, on the track in the most competitive series in all of motorsports,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “Our sport eagerly anticipates the performance, style and fanfare the Mustang will bring to the track each weekend beginning at the 2019 Daytona 500.”

The reveal coincided yesterday with the announcement that Ford had produced the 10,000,000th Mustang in its history.

The Mustang will run in competition in the NASCAR Cup series for the first time on February 17 at the Daytona 500.

A version of this story originally appeared on All Ford Mustangs.