Ford Unveils 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang ahead of Woodward Dream Cruise
The fifth all-new motorsports Ford Mustang unveiled in the past 12 months, the new Xfinity Series Mustang joins a fleet of Mustangs in the NASCAR Cup Series, NHRA Funny Car, the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship, and grassroots Cobra Jet competition.
The Xfinity Series Mustang was a joint effort of Ford Design and the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina.
The new NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang makes its race debut during Speedweek at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 15, 2020.
In some ways, NASCAR competition vehicles are like Poppin' Fresh, the Pillsbury Doughboy: The exterior is an exercise in logo-wielding branding that hides a finely-tuned high-tech killing machine underneath. That may be a stretch; Poppin' Fresh is a lot more harmless than a NASCAR entry (we think). But you'll agree that few, if any, NASCAR Cup or Xfinity fans still labor under the impression that the cars their heroes drive on the track share any mechanical similarities with the one in their driveway.
Despite the illusion, there's big money and big fun in the branding of race hardware, and truth be told, the manufacturers still spend a huge amount of time and money in engine, chassis, and aerodynamics development on these cars.
It's this very branding that nurtures the soul of racing. In the case of the recently unveiled 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang, that means members of Ford’s engineering and aerodynamics teams based out of the Ford Performance Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina, have their hands all over it, alongside the able talent pool at the Ford Design Center. (The Performance Technical Center facility has evolved from a racing-only facility to a test bed of development for production vehicles, including the all-new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.)
Forget for the moment that this Mustang's graphics are largely rendered in vinyl to resemble the physical ones on their production-vehicle counterparts. The white body with red and blue striping is a refreshing mix of nostalgia and current design themes, and Ford went the extra mile to replicate the iconic Mustang tailamps. While returning to the days of genuine factory sheetmetal running on the banked ovals is highly unlikely, that doesn't mean they shouldn't at least have fun with what they've got, right? For some fans, that's more than enough.
Look for the new NASCAR Xfinity Series Mustang when it makes its debut at Daytona International Speedway on February 15.
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