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 his first and only race with Sweepstakes on Oct. 10.

1903
Barney Oldfield drives a 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 wins the New York to Seattle transcontinental race and the Guggenheim Trophy.

1949
Jim Roper drives a Lincoln to victory in the first NASCAR Grand National race in Charlotte, NC.

1950
‘Shirtless’ Jimmy Florian wins Ford’s first race in the NASCAR Grand National Series using the Ford Flathead V8 that was introduced in 1932, when he outduels the field at Dayton Speedway on June 25.

1952
Lincoln wins the first of three consecutive Carrera Panamericana Road races.

1963
Colin Chapman teams with Ford to build Lotus rear-engine Indy cars with production-based pushrod engines and Jim Clark drives it to victory for the first time in the Milwaukee 200.

Tiny Lund, subbing for an injured Marvin Panch, scores Ford’s first Daytona 500 victory.

1964
Two Alan Mann Racing prepared Ford Mustangs mark the debut of Mustang in international racing. Powered by Holman-Moody tuned Hi-Po 289 engines, they finish first and second in the touring car class of the Tour du France Autombile. The race winners were Peter Procter and Andrew Cowan.

1965
Jim Clark wins Ford’s first Indianapolis 500 with NASCAR’s Wood Brothers serving as his pit crew.

Fred Lorenzen wins the Daytona 500 in a Holman-Moody Ford.

Mario Andretti becomes the first Ford-powered driver to win the USA (Indy car) national championship.

Ned Jarrett wins Ford’s first NASCAR Cup Series championship, which was known as the Grand National Series at the time.

1966
Ford GT40 Mark IIs finish 1-2-3 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon being proclaimed the winners.

Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby capture the first over victory by Ford in the 24 Hours of Daytona in the Ford GT40 Mk II, finishing eight laps ahead of its competitors.

1967
The Ford DFV V8 makes its Formula One debut, driven to victory by Jim Clark in the Dutch Grand Prix.  From 1967-83, the DFV will win 155 races, power 12 world champion drivers and win 10 world constructors’ championships.

Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt win the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a Ford GT40 Mk IV marking the first time an All-American team won the iconic endurance race.

Mario Andretti, driving a Holman-Moody Ford, wins the Daytona 500.

1968
David Pearson wins the first of consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships, driving for Holman-Moody.

Pedro Rodriguez and Lucien Bianchi race to the third consecutive Ford GT40 victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans five laps ahead of second place. 

Lotus Ford win both Driver’s championships (Graham Hill) and Manufacturer’s Championships (Lotus Ford). In total, Ford-powered cars win 11 out of 12 races and Ford-powered cars come 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Constructor’s World Championship.

1969
Rod Hall and Larry Minor win the Baja 1000 in a Ford Bronco, "Big Oly”, the only 4WD vehicle to ever win. 

LeeRoy Yarbrough, driving for Junior Johnson, wins the Daytona 500.

Jacky Ickx and Jackie Olivier capture Ford’s fourth consecutive Le Mans title with the GT40.  

Ford sweeps the Formula 1 season winning every round of the 11-race season. Jackie Stewart wins the World Championship as Jacky Ickx and Bruce McLaren finish second and third, respectively. The success gives Matra Ford the Constructor’s Championship with Brabham Ford in second, Lotus Ford in third and McLaren Ford in fourth. 

1970
SCCA 1970 Trans Am Championship by Bud Moore-prepared BOSS 302 Mustang driven by Parnelli Jones. Ford ultimately wins the Manufacturers' Championship with performances by Jones and teammate George Follmer.

Ford engines win 8 of the 13 races, powering Jochen Rindt to the World Championship which tragically he won posthumously having lost his life at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Ford wins the Constructor’s Championship with Lotus. Ford engines power four of the top five manufacturer entries.

1971
Ford powered car win the F1 Driver’s Championship with Jackie Stewart. In total, Ford-powered cars win 7 of the 11 races and the Constructor’s Championship, this time for Tyrrell. 

Dieter Glemser and Alex Soler-Roig win the 1971 24 Hours of Spa race in a Ford Capri RS 2600, marking the first overall victory for Ford in the race.

1972
Ford wins 10 of the 12 races handing the Driver’s World Championship to Emerson Fittipaldi and the Constructors Championship to Lotus Ford with Tyrrell Ford in second and McLaren Ford in third. 

Ford’s first Funny Car championship comes from Larry Fullerton in his Trojan Horse Mustang.

David Pearson wins the Rebel 400 at Darlington Raceway in a Mercury, marking the first of his 43 wins driving for the Wood Brothers.

1973
Ford-powered cars power all but two teams on the F1 grid winning all 15 races. Jackie Stewart in his Tyrrell Ford secures the Driver’s World Championship and the Constructor’s Championship goes to Lotus Ford, with Ford-powered sweeping the top five spots. 

Timo Makinen drives an Escort RS 1600 to Ford’s first win in the new FIA World Rally Championship series at Finland’s 1000 Lakes Rally.  Escort becomes one of the most successful WRC cars ever with 31 wins between 1973-97.

1974
Ford wins 12 of 15 F1 races giving Emerson Fittipaldi his second World Championship in a McLaren Ford. McLaren is also crowned the Constructor’s Champion. Of the 12 teams entered in Formula 1, 10 of the top 12 teams all ran Ford engines. 

Shirl Greer wins the Funny Car championship in his Mustang after a fire in the finals at Ottawa Motor Speedway.

1975
Ford wins eight of 14 races falling short of another F1 Constructor’s title, ending the streak of  championships at seven. 

1976
Ford-powered cars win 10 of the 16 Formula 1 races, giving James Hunt his first and only World Championship in his McLaren Ford. Ford narrowly misses the Constructor’s Championship to Ferrari despite Ford engines earning 10 of the 13 positions on the Constructor’s table. 

Al Unser Sr. wins the Pocono 500 in a Parnelli, powered by the Cosworth DFX engine, based on the Ford DFV F1 V8.  It is the first of 153 wins for the engine.

1977
Tom Sneva drives a Cosworth DFX-powered McLaren to the USAC national championship, the first of 11 consecutive USAC and CART titles for the DFX engine.

In Formula 1, Ford engines win 12 of the 17 races including for the Wolf Ford and Shadow Ford teams as well as for Lotus Ford and McLaren Ford.

1978
Ford engines score wins in 9 of the 16 F1 races with Mario Andretti – in a Lotus Ford - winning the Driver’s Championship and Lotus Ford taking the Constructor’s Championship (Ford’s eighth). 

Ford owner Bud Moore and driver Bobby Allison team up to win their first Daytona 500. 

1979 
Ford secures 8 of 15 Formula 1 race wins including with cars from Ligier and Williams.

1980
Ford powered cars win 11 of the 14 races during the Formula 1 season. Alan Jones win his first World Championship in a Williams Ford while Williams wins the Constructors Championship. 

1981
Ford establishes Special Vehicle Operations as its administrative center for all racing activities.  

The Miller Mustang, driven by Klaus Ludwig in IMSA GT road racing, gives Ford SVO two victories in the first season of its new program.

In Formula 1, Ford races to 8 wins out of 15 shared by Williams, Brabham and McLaren. Nelson Piquet wins his first World Championship in the Brabham Ford while Williams Ford won the Constructors Championship. Ford’s tenth engine Constructor’s title in F1. 

1982
Ford wins 16 F1 races across McLaren, Brabham, Lotus, Williams and Tyrrell. Keke Rosberg in his Williams Ford is crowned World Champion, but Ferrari narrowly secures the Constructor’s title over the Ford-powered McLaren. 

1983
The new Ford Thunderbird is approved for NASCAR Cup Series competition and Buddy Baker wins its first race, capturing the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway on the Fourth of July with the Wood Brothers.

1985
Bill Elliott, driving a Thunderbird, starts the season by winning the Daytona 500 and proceeds to capture the inaugural “Winston Million,” with wins in the Talladega 500 at a 500-mile race record speed of 186.288 mph, and Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

IMSA GTO Roush Racing wins their class’s 13 of 16 races and John Jones wins the driver championship with eight of those wins. Jones drives the 1985 IMSA GTO Roush Racing Motorcraft-sponsored Mustang alongside Wally Dallenbach Jr. The team also includes drivers Lyn St. James, who won three races, and Doc Bundy, who was part of the winning 24 Hours of Daytona team. The Mustang GTO earned Daytona class wins from 1985-1987.

Kenny Bernsten drives his aerodynamic Ford Tempo to the first of four straight Funny Car championships in Budweiser King branding.

1986
IMSA GTO class Roush Racing wins eight-of-17 races and Scott Pruett takes the driver championship with seven of those wins.

1987
Bill Elliott wins his second Daytona 500 in three years for owner Harry Melling.

In addition, Elliott sets the NASCAR all-time speed record in a Thunderbird by qualifying for the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway at 212.809 miles per hour.

1988
Bill Elliott wins the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in a Thunderbird.

Klaus Ludwig helps Ford to its first DTM championship in the Sierra RS500, earning five victories in his campaign for the crown.

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

1989
Ford returns to the top spot of the F1 podium with Alessandro Nannini at the Japanese Grand Prix in his Benetton Ford. 

1990
Benetton Ford secures two Formula 1 wins with Nelson Piquet taking both victories and powering him to third in the Driver’s World Championship. The team also finished third in the Constructor’s Championship

1990-91
John Force and crew chief Austin Coil win the 1990 and 1991 Funny Car championships in their Castrol Mustang to begin a dominating two-plus decade run of winning.

1992
Ford re-enters Indy car racing with the new Ford-Cosworth XB engine.

Davey Allison wins the Daytona 500, giving owner Robert Yates his first win in the Great American Race as an owner.

Alan Kulwicki wins the Cup Series title, beating fellow Ford driver Bill Elliott by a scant 10 points, and Ford wins the NASCAR manufacturers’ championship for the 10th time and first since 1969. 

The Ford Mustang secures GTS class wins at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in both 1992 and 1993. The class winner was driven by the Roush Racing team in both events. Dorsey Schroeder, Wally Dallenbach Jr., and Robby Gordon in 1992, and Dallenbach Jr., Robby Gordon, Robbie Buhl, and Tommy Kendall in 1993.

1993
In his first season with Roush Racing, Tommy Kendall wins the IMSA GTS championship in a Ford Mustang while also securing a class victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona alongside Wally Dallenbach Jr., Robbie Buhl and Robby Gordon.

Nigel Mansell wins the PPG Cup in a Ford-Cosworth XB-powered Lola, Ford’s first Indy car drivers’ title since 1971. The engine would capture 36 Indy car wins in total. 

Ford engines win 6 of 16 Formula 1 races between Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Senna finishes the season in second place to Alain Prost as World Champion while McLaren Ford is second and Benetton Ford third in the Constructor’s Championship. Ford supplied F1 engines to McLaren, Benetton and Minardi

1994
Ford introduces the Zetec-R V8 Formula One engine that Michael Schumacher drives to 8 of 16 wins to secure his first F1 World Championship with Benetton-Ford.

1995
Jacques Villeneuve wins the Indianapolis 500 in a Reynard Ford-Cosworth, Ford’s first Indy 500 victory since 1971.

1995-97
Tommy Kendall wins three consecutive Trans-Am championships in 1995, 1996, and 1997, including a record-breaking 11 consecutive race victories in the 1997 season.

1996
Dale Jarrett wins the Daytona 500 in the debut race for the No. 88 Quality Care/ Ford Credit Ford Thunderbird of owner Robert Yates.

1997
Ford launches the Taurus as NASCAR’s first full-time four door entry into the Cup Series for the 1998 season

Stewart Ford F1 team debuts with drivers Rubens Barichello and Jan Magnussen.

1998
Ford buys Cosworth Racing, the company’s partner in race engine development and production for more than 30 years.

1999
Ford purchases the Stewart-Ford Formula One race team following the team’s first win at the European Grand Prix with Jonny Herbert driving.

Dale Jarrett wins the NASCAR Winston Cup Series title in a Taurus

2000
Ford renames Stewart-Ford as Jaguar Racing, the British marque’s first entry into Formula One World Championship competition.  

Dale Jarrett wins his third Daytona 500 and second with Ford.

Greg Biffle wins Ford’s first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in a Jack Roush Ford F-150.

2003
Matt Kenseth wins the NASCAR Cup Series championship in a Taurus.

Tony Pedregon wins the Funny Car championship in his Castrol Ford Mustang.

Giancarlo Fisichella wins F1’s Brazilian Grand Prix in his Jordan Ford. 

2004
Kurt Busch wins the NASCAR Cup Series championship in a Taurus, marking Ford and Jack Roush’s second straight title.

Ford sells Jaguar Racing to Red Bull. The relationship would come full circle 20 years later with Ford and Red Bull partnering to create Red Bull Ford Powertrains. 

2006
Ford introduces Fusion as its flagship car for the NASCAR Cup Series

2008
The first Ford SVT F-150 Raptor competes in the Baja 1000

2009 
Jack Roush wins his first Daytona 500 as Matt Kenseth drives his Ford Fusion to victory.

Robert Hight wins the Funny Car championship in his AAA Auto Club Mustang.

2011
Trevor Bayne becomes the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500, one day after celebrating his 20th birthday.

2012
Matt Kenseth wins his second Daytona 500 in four years for car owner Jack Roush.

2013
Greg Biffle gives Ford its 1,000 NASCAR victory across all three national series by winning the Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway on June, 16.

2015
Joey Logano becomes the 11th Ford driver to win the Daytona 500. 

2016
Ford wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the all-new Ford GT in the GTE Pro class, 50 years to the day after its first victory with Joey Hand, Dirk Mueller and Sebastian Bourdais. Ford also comes in third in the same race.

2017
Kurt Busch wins the Daytona 500 in the debut race for Stewart-Haas Racing with Ford.

2018
Joey Logano wins the NASCAR Cup Series championship in a Fusion.

Sébastien Ogier wins Ford’s tenth Monte Carlo Rally on the way to his second consecutive World Rally Championship in the Ford Fiesta WRC

2019
Mustang joins the NASCAR Cup Series as the manufacturer’s full-time entry.

2020
Austin Cindric wins NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and goes on historic run of seven consecutive races with wins or runner-up finishes.

Scott McLaughlin wins back-to-back Supercars Championship titles in the first two years of the Mustang competing in the series.

Ford caps off a run of seven consecutive victories at the Baja 1000.

2021
Mustang wins its first Daytona 500 as Michael McDowell captures The Great American Race.

2022
Ford unveils the SuperVan 4.0 EV demonstrator at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that produces nearly 2000 horsepower and goes 0-60 in under two seconds.

Ford sweeps the top three spots in the King of the Hammers off-road race with Bronco in the 4600 Every Man Challenge class

Austin Cindric wins the Daytona 500, the first-ever Cup Series points race in the Next Gen Mustang.

Joey Logano wins his second NASCAR Cup Series championship, this time in a Mustang.

2023
Ford announces its intention to return to Formula One by forming a partnership with Red Bull called Red Bull Ford Powertrains with the debut set for 2026.

Ford announces plans to compete in the world’s most grueling off-road event – the Dakar Rally starting in 2024.

Ryan Blaney gives Ford back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series championships with Mustang.

Ford wins all three major NASCAR championships in the same season for the first time as Ryan Blaney (Cup), Cole Custer (Xfinity) and Ben Rhodes (Trucks) took home titles.

The Academy Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4, driven by Erik Evans and Matt Cowley, captures the 2023 British GT Championship.

Melissa Clark and Jessica Moore achieve a fourth consecutive win in the Rebelle Rally X-CROSS™ class in the Ford Bronco Sport.

2024
Joey Logano wins his third career NASCAR Cup Series championship, marking the third straight for Ford and Team Penske.

The all-new Mustang GT3 and Mustang GT4 make their competitive debuts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship in both the GTD Pro and GTD classes.

Completing the launch of the full Mustang sports car racing portfolio, Ford introduces Mustang Challenge, a one-make series sanctioned by IMSA with the Dark Horse R race car. 

Ford wins Pike Peak International Hill Climb overall utilizing the specially built Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck EV Demonstrator with a time of 8:53.553.

The Super Cobra Jet 1800 Demonstrator sets a record in the quarter mile with a blazing pass of 7.623 @ 182.16 mph at the NMRA World Finals.

Ford EV Demonstrator, SuperVan 4.2, wins the Goodwood Festival of Speed Shootout. 

2025
Ford announces its return to the premier level of professional sports car racing, FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar competition and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2027. 

Ford secures a third podium sweep and extends Bronco’s winning streak to four consecutive years at the King of the Hammers 4600 class Every Man Challenge.

The Ford Mustang GT3 earns its first global victory during the Rolex 24 At Daytona (C. Mies, F. Vervisch, D. Olsen), placing both of its cars on the IMSA GTD Pro podium. The Mustang GT3 also picks up wins in 2025 on the Detroit Street Course and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

Ford earns its first victory at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring since 2009 (Ford Mondeo), as the Haupt Racing Team Ford Mustang GT3, driven by David Schumacher, Dennis Fetzer, Salman Owega and Jusuf Owega, triumphed in the SP9 Pro-Am class.

The Ford Mustang GT3 earns its first season championship in the ADAC GT Masters: Salman Owega and Finn Wiebelhaus shared the Drivers’ Championship, while Haupt Racing Team captured the team title.

Mattias Ekstrom finishes the Dakar Rally on the podium in Ford's Ultimate Class debut with the Ford Raptor T1+

Ford launches Mustang Cup North America, an entry-level series that bridges the gap between driving experiences and Mustang Challenge and serves as the starting level of the Ford Racing Pyramid. 

Ford announces the international expansion of its one-make program with Mustang Cup Australia, set to debut in 2026. 

40 Mustang Dark Horse R race cars travel overseas to compete in the Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational, a non-points paying event that consisted of two races during the build up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

James Deane secures his second consecutive Formula DRIFT title in the Ford Mustang RTR and the fourth title for RTR Motorsports in the Mustang in six years.

Ford Motor Company announces rebrand to Ford Racing from Ford Performance. Ford Racing is the new brand for motorsports and performance cars.

A Ford EV Demonstrator – Ford SuperTruck - wins the Goodwood Festival of Speed Shootout for the consecutive year. 

2026
The 125th Anniversary of Ford Racing

Ford returns to Formula 1 in partnership with Oracle Red Bull Racing as Red Bull Ford Powertrains.

NOTABLE DRIVERS
Dan Gurney (1967 All-American Le Mans winner and 5-time NASCAR winner)
Ned Jarrett (Ford’s first NASCAR champion in 1964 and all-time wins leader with 43)
A.J. Foyt (1967 All-American Le Mans winner, 1967 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2-time NASCAR winner)
Sir Jackie Stewart (Three-time F1 world champion, 1969, 1971, 1973)
Mario Andretti (1967 Daytona 500 champion and 1978 F1 world champion)
Michael Schumacher (1994 F1 world champion)
Emerson Fittipaldi (Two-time F1 world champion, 1972, 1974)
David Pearson (Two-time NASCAR champion and 73 career wins in FMC products)
Parnelli Jones (1970 SCCA Trans-Am champion and two-time Baja 100 winner, 1971-72)
Bob Glidden (10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion but can’t find how many were with Ford)
John Force (10-time NHRA Funny Car champion with Ford from 1997-2014)
Lyn St. James (First woman to win an IMSA GT sports car race solo)
Scott McLaughlin (Three-time Australia V8 Supercars champion) 
Jim Clark (1965 Indianapolis 500 champion and F1 winner)
Bill Elliott (1987 NASCAR champion; 40 Cup Series wins)
Dick Johnson (10-time Australia Supercars champion as driver and owner)
Chris Amon (24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford GT40, 1966
Bruce McLaren (24 Hours of Le Mans, Ford GT40, 1966)
Sebastian Ogier (WRC). 
Romain Dumas (SuperVan, SuperTruck)
Colin McRea (WRC)
Carlos Sainz Sr (WRC and Dakar)
Nani Roma (Dakar)
Matthias Ekstrom (Dakar)
Max Verstappen (Formula 1, 2026) 

KEY FIGURES
Henry Ford
Henry Ford II
Edsel Ford II
Carroll Shelby
Bud Moore
Wood Brothers
Jack Roush
Robert Yates
Alan Mann
Chip Ganassi
Colin Chapman
Roger Penske
Mose Nowland
Junie Donlavey
Bill Stroppe
John Holman
Ralph Moody
Malcolm Wilson
Matthew Wilson
Hugues de Chaunac
Larry Holt