Does Ford have any racing teams?
Yes. Ford maintains factory-backed racing programs and collaborates with established teams across NASCAR, IMSA, and the World Rally Championship through Ford Performance.
Ford's racing footprint is organized under Ford Performance, which coordinates factory entries and supports customer teams worldwide. This article explains how Ford participates in major series and who the notable active teams are as of 2024–25.
Ford Performance and the structure of Ford's racing efforts
Ford Performance is the company’s dedicated division for motorsports. It oversees the development of race cars, engineering support, and the coordination of both factory entries and customer programs across disciplines. In practice, Ford Performance consoles a mix of official factory campaigns and partnerships with longtime, hand-picked teams that race Ford machinery on the world stage.
NASCAR: Factory-backed presence through partner teams
Core Ford-backed teams
In stock-car racing, Ford’s involvement centers on a select group of teams that campaign Ford Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series. These partnerships fuse engineering support, performance development, and branding under the Ford umbrella.
- Team Penske
- Stewart-Haas Racing
- RFK Racing (Roush Fenway Keselowski-branded operation)
These collaborations form the backbone of Ford's NASCAR activity, enabling competitive campaigns with factory resources while leveraging established team infrastructures and sponsorship networks.
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: Factory and customer programs
Showcase cars and platforms
In IMSA, Ford Performance supports a combination of factory-backed effort and customer programs, primarily using the Mustang platform in the GT classes. Ford supplies engineering support, data, and development resources to partner teams that campaign Ford GT platforms in endurance racing settings.
- Mustang GT3 program entries in GTD Pro/GTD classes
- Customer teams racing Ford-supplied cars in IMSA-sanctioned events
IMSA serves as a high-profile testbed for Ford’s performance engineering, with endurance racing demanding reliability, efficiency, and pace across multi-hour events around North America and beyond.
World Rally Championship: M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Rally program overview
Ford’s rally activities in the World Rally Championship are run through the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. This program campaigns Ford rally cars in top-tier events, backed by Ford Performance engineering and development resources to compete across stages that demand durability, agility, and precision driving.
The WRC effort reflects Ford’s commitment to performance across diverse disciplines, extending the same engineering ethos that underpins its road-going models into the world of rallying.
Summary
Ford maintains an active and diverse racing presence through Ford Performance, combining factory-backed campaigns with strategic partnerships across NASCAR, IMSA, and rallying in the World Rally Championship. Rather than operating a single in-house racing company, Ford leverages a network of established teams and dedicated programs to compete at the highest levels, while using those efforts to advance technology and brand performance on road cars.
Does Ford still have an F1 team?
Yes, Ford is returning to Formula 1 in the 2026 season after a 20-year absence, partnering with Red Bull Powertrains. The partnership, called Red Bull Ford Powertrains, will focus on developing a hybrid power unit for the new regulations starting in 2026, and will supply engines to both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.
- Partnership: Ford is entering a long-term strategic partnership with Red Bull Powertrains to develop a next-generation hybrid power unit.
- Engine focus: The collaboration will concentrate on the electric and hybrid components of the power unit.
- Timeline: Ford's official return to F1 will be in the 2026 season, marking its first participation since 2004.
- Teams: The engines will be used by Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.
What racing teams does Ford have?
NASCAR
- Wood Brothers Racing (1950–present)
- Team Penske (1994–2002, 2013–present)
- RFK Racing (1988–present)
- Front Row Motorsports (2010–present)
- Rick Ware Racing (2022–present)
Does Ford still compete in racing?
Ford continues to test the limits at major circuits and events worldwide, which includes major 24-hour endurance racing victories by the Mustang GT3 in the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA and ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring 24h.
Is Ford joining Red Bull F1?
We're incredibly excited to begin this new chapter, driven by the same determination and excellence that defines both Ford and Red Bull.” Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company said: 'Since we announced our return to F1 with Red Bull, the Ford team have been working night and day to get ready for 2026.
