While Ford Motor Company celebrates its founding on June 16, 1903, that would not have been possible without Ford Performance, which got its start on October 10, 1901. On that date at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, Henry Ford took on the world-renowned racer from Cleveland, Ohio, Alexander Winton. The belief by all was so strong that Winton would win the race, the organizers of the race allowed Winton’s business manager to choose the trophy that he believed his boss would like the most.

What everyone didn’t realize that day was that Henry Ford had a formula that he believed would prevail not only on the racetrack but would transform the fledging automotive industry going forward—lightweight, durable, and simple automobiles would prevail! Not only did that take place that day on the track as Winton’s car took off to an early lead, but began to sputter as the race went on and Henry Ford’s Sweepstakes overtook and won that race, but his formula would also prevail over the automotive industry with his venerable Model T.

 

Significant Events:

• 1901: Henry Ford wins 10-lap race at the Detroit Driving Club against the venerable Alexander Winton

• 1903: Barney Oldfield drives Ford 999 on one-mile dirt track at the Indiana Fairgrounds at 60 mph, the fastest closed course laps ever recorded to that point

• 1909: Ford Model T won the New York to Seattle transcontinental race and the Guggenheim Trophy

• 1932: Ford Flathead V8 introduced and became the gold standard for hot rod builders

• 1949: Jim Roper drives a Lincoln to a win in the first NASCAR Grand National race at Charlotte, NC

• 1950: Shirtless Jimmy Florian wins the first NASCAR Cup Series race in a Ford

• 1952: Lincoln wins first of three consecutive Carrera Panamericana Road races 

• 1957: AMA bans factory-sponsored racing involvement

• 1962: Ford begins “Total Performance” campaign

• 1963: Tiny Lund wins Ford’s first Daytona 500

• 1964: Mustang wins first international competition at the Tour de France Rallye

• 1965: Ford’s first Indy 500 victory comes in the Lotus-Ford driven by Jim Clark; Mario Andretti wins USAC championship; and Ned Jarrett wins NASCAR Grand National championship

• 1966: Ford MKII finish 1-2-3 at the 24-hours of LeMans; went on to win the next three races as well; Mustang wins SCCA Manufacturers’ Title in Over-Two-Liter Class in its inaugural season

• 1967: Ford Cosworth DFV engine wins debut race at Dutch Grand Prix with Jim Clark

• 1968: David Pearson wins NASCAR Championship in a Ford

• 1969: David Pearson wins NASCAR Championship in a Ford

• 1970: SCCA 1970 Trans Am Championship by Bud Moore prepared Boss 302 Mustang driven by Parnelli Jones

• 1985: IMSA GTO Roush Racing won its class in 13 of 16 races and John Jones won the driver championship with eight of those wins

• 1985: Bill Elliott wins the coveted Winston Million after capturing three of the sport’s crown jewel events in the same season

• 1986: IMSA GTO class Roush Racing won eight of 17 races and Scott Pruett won the driver championship with seven of those wins

• 1988: Bill Elliott wins NASCAR Winston Cup Championship in a Thunderbird

• 1988-90: IMSA GTO class was won by Roush, Mercury entries as XR4Ti and then Cougar

• 1992: Alan Kulwicki wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Thunderbird

• 1995-1997: Roush Mustang Cobra won the Trans Am championships

• 1995: Roush Racing wins its 10th consecutive class win in the 24 Hours of Daytona with a Mustang driven by Paul Newman, Mark Martin, Tommy Kendall, and Mike Brockman

• 1999: Dale Jarrett wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Taurus

• 2000: Greg Biffle becomes the first Ford driver to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship

• 2002: Greg Biffle becomes the first Ford driver to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship

• 2003: Matt Kenseth wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Taurus

• 2003: Ford wins the Supercars Championship

• 2004: Ford wins the Supercars Championship

• 2005: Ford wins the Supercars Championship

• 2004: Kurt Busch wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Taurus

• 2007: Carl Edwards wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

• 2010: Vaughn Gittin Jr won the Formula Drift Championship in a Ford Mustang

• 2011: Ford wins its 600th NASCAR Cup series victory with an upset win by Trevor Bayne in the Daytona 500. It marked Wood Brothers Racing’s 5th victory in NASCAR’s premier event.

• 2011: Mustang begins its first full season as Ford’s flagship model in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

• 2011: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

• 2012: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wins his second straight NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

• 2013: Greg Biffle wins the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway for Ford’s 1000th win in NASCAR (Cup, Xfinity and Truck combined)

• 2015: Chris Buescher wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

• 2016: The new Ford GT returns to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a class victory by Joey Hand, Sebastian Bourdais, and Dirk Muller, 50 years to the day of Ford’s 1966 victory. The Ford GTs finish 1-3 that day

• 2017: The Ford GT wins class at 24 Hours of Daytona (and fifth overall), with Joey Hand, Sebastian Bourdais, and Dirk Mueller

• 2017: DJR Team Penske wins the Supercars Team Championship and Manufacturers Championship for Ford

• 2018: Ford GTs finish 1-2 in a dominating performance at 24 Hours of Daytona, just 11 seconds apart and two laps ahead of their nearest competitor. Ryan Briscoe, Richard Westbrook, and Scott Dixson took the win

• 2018: Joey Logano wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Mustang

• 2018: Scott McLaughlin wins the Supercars Championship in a Ford Falcon

• 2019: Mustang begins its first season as Ford’s flagship model in the NASCAR Cup Series

• 2019: Scott McLaughlin wins the Supercars Championship in a Ford Mustang with Dick Johnson Racing

• 2019: Brad Keselowski drives Mustang to its first win in the NASCAR Cup Series

• 2019: Matt Crafton wins the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship

• 2020: Kevin Harvick wins Ford’s 700th NASCAR Cup Series race

• 2020: Austin Cindric wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship

• 2020: Vaughn Gittin Jr wins the Formula Drift Championship in a Ford Mustang

• 2020: Scott McLaughlin wins the Supercars Championship

• 2021: Super Cobra Jet 1400 sets an NHRA record for an EV Drag car with a ¼ mile pass of 8.128 at 171.97 with Bob Tasca III Behind the wheel

• 2022: Joey Logano wins the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum in the first race of the Next Gen era in a Mustang

• 2022: Joey Logano wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Mustang

• 2022: Zane Smith wins the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship

• 2023: Ford Performance sets the open class record at Pikes Peak with SuperVan 4.2 with Romain Dumas behind the wheel

• 2023: Ford wins all three NASCAR championships in the same season for the first time

• 2023: Ryan Blaney wins NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Mustang

• 2023: Ben Rhodes wins NASCAR Truck Series Championship with an F-150

• 2023: Cole Custer wins the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in a Ford Mustang

• 2023: Chelsea DeNofa wins Formula Drift Championship in the seventh generation Mustang

• 2023: Academy Motorsports win the British GT Championship with Mustang GT4

• 2024: Mustang Super Cobra Jet 1800 breaks the world record for fastest ¼ mile pass for a full-bodied EV Drag car with a time of 7.759 at 180.14mph at the NHRA Pomona Winternationals

• 2024: Ford Performance becomes the fastest closed-wheel vehicle to lap Mount Panorama with Romain Dumas behind the wheel

• 2024: Romain Dumas takes the overall win at the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck

• 2024: James Deane wins the Formula Drift Championship in a Ford Mustang

• 2024: Ty Majeski wins the NASCAR Truck Series Championship in a Ford F-150

• 2024: Joey Logano wins the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in a Ford Mustang Dark Horse