All you need to know

Ford has participated in NASCAR, the country's premier stock car racing circuit, since the sanctioning body officially began in 1949. In that time, the manufacturer has won more than 1,200 races combined in the sanctioning bodies top three series -- Cup, Xfinity and Truck. Ford competes in the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series with the Ford Mustang Dark Horse while the wildly popular Ford F-150 serves as the flagship model in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The NASCAR season is one of the longest in professional sports, running from February to November, culminating with a multi-week playoff elimination format to determine each series champion.