Category:
Events,
Ford Motor Company,
Ford Racing,
Mustang
Ford Racing Redefines the Track-Focused Street Mustang
On Thursday evening, January 15, Ford Racing officially unveiled the 2026 Mustang Dark Horse SC at its 2026 Season Launch event, and the message was unmistakable. This is not a styling exercise, a nostalgia play, or a half-step special edition. The Dark Horse SC is Ford Racing’s most serious attempt yet at delivering a race-developed Mustang for the street, and it effectively assumes the role once occupied by the Shelby GT500.
With Ford no longer holding rights to use the Shelby name, the responsibility of carrying the Mustang’s flagship performance identity now sits squarely with Ford Racing and Ford Performance. The Dark Horse SC is the result. Positioned above the standard Dark Horse and below the extreme Mustang GTD, it establishes a new internal hierarchy defined less by branding and more by engineering intent.
A Program Led by Racing Engineers, Not Marketers...
Category:
Aftermarket,
Industry Shows,
Parts
Racing’s
annual family reunion returned to Indianapolis bigger and brasher than it’s
been in decades. The 37th Annual Performance
Racing Industry (PRI) Show roared to life December 11–13 at the
Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium, drawing thousands of hardcore
racers, builders, and industry die-hards under one roof. Indiana’s Governor
kicked off the Grand Opening Breakfast, and none other than Mario Andretti
regaled the crowd with stories, setting an electric tone for the days ahead.
By the numbers, PRI 2025 was massive: over 1,060 exhibitors,
with 161 of them brand-new, packed the halls, making it the largest PRI show in
nearly twenty years. If you needed proof that the motorsports industry is
thriving, this was it. As PRI President Michael Good put it, “Every year, we
bring together the people, products, and ideas that shape the future of
racing,” and this year’s turnout confirmed it.
The atmosphere blended business with buzzing excitement.
Deals were being struck on Machinery Row while live engine pulls echoed from
the dyno exhibits. PRI isn’t open to the public, but it felt like every corner
of the racing world sent a representative, from grassroots bracket racers
scoping out new parts to OEM engineers and pro tuners hunting for an edge.