Mustang Challenge North America returns to the place where it all started, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the third round of the 2026 season. The Lexington, Ohio-area race track is where Mustang Challenge held its first ever round in 2024, and this weekend will be the second time Ford Mustang Dark Horse R cars have competed on the 2.258-mile road course.
In the inaugural Mustang Challenge North America round in 2024, Robert Noaker won race one on his way to his first Dark Horse Championship. In the Dark Horse Legends class, Tom Tait claimed victory in race one and Zachry Lee earned the win in race two. Noaker has moved on to the Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class in a Mustang GT4 in 2026 and will be racing this weekend in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio. Lee is racing a Mustang GT4 in the Pro-Am class of Pirelli GT4 America. Tait currently sits second in the 2026 Mustang Challenge Dark Horse Legends standings after winning race two last time out at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Ford Motor Company CEO competed in the first Mustang Challenge round at Mid-Ohio and will return to the track this weekend as he competes in his sixth event in the series
Last time out at Laguna Seca, two drivers earned their first wins in the Mustang Challenge North America series. In race one, Nicholas Smither in Dark Horse Legends claimed his first victory, and in race two, Devin Anderson in the Dark Horse class stood on the top step of the podium for the first time. Heading into Mid-Ohio, Cole Loftsgard leads the points standings in the Dark Horse class, and Chris Clarke leads the standings in Dark Horse Legends.
ORDER OF EVENTS *Times EDT
Friday June 5
9:25 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.: Practice 1
1:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Practice 2
Saturday June 6
9:40 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.: Qualifying
1:55 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.: Race 1
Sunday June 7
9:05 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.: Race 2
Ford Mustang Dark Horse R
The Mustang® Dark Horse™ R race car features a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 engine, borrowed from the 2025 Mustang Dark Horse coupe. It’s combined with track-focused upgrades — including the following — for a more hard-core, pedal-to-the-metal performance:
- Borla® Racing Exhaust System
- RECARO® FIA racing seat
- Brembo™ Front and Rear Brake Package
- New 18" Forged Wheels paired with a Michelin slick race tire
- New GT4 Rear Camber Arms
