“It Was Always a Ford Track”- NASCAR Legend Richard Petty Asserts the Significance of Darlington for the Mustang in Breaking Winless Streak

Oh, how the tables have turned! While Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing had been turning heads with their back-to-back wins up until recently, the Darlington race saw an upheaval no one expected. We saw this play out when Brad Keselowski slashed out the dominance of the two rival teams in his Ford, to provide a break from what had become a norm in the 2024 Cup Series season.

This unexpected shift has caught the attention of drivers and owners of other teams. It has not only disrupted the rankings but also revived the competitive drive.

Richard Petty highlights Ford’s resurgence at Darlington

Motorsports is a thrilling sport. But, with HMS and JGR’s dominance, the races almost felt predictable. Luckily, Ford made a stunning comeback in fashion. Not only were fans excited with a sheer change of scenario but also happy for Keselowski, who ended his winless streak of 101 races. But it seems this Ford supremacy at the track is nothing new. Or at least that’s what Richard Petty thinks!

In a clip shared by the seven-time Cup champion, on his Instagram handle, he could be seen saying, “Darlington was always a Ford track it was and the Fords ran really good.” Case in point, historically we have seen Ford thriving on the “Too Tough To Tame” track. David Pearson, for example, had a remarkable ten victories in Darlington, out of which eight were in Ford/Mercury cars! Notably, Ford’s first win at the venue dates back to 1956 with Chris Turner and since then, the OEM has won 33 races, with Mercury (produced by Ford till 2011) picking up an additional 10 wins. This is a reminder of why the track is called a “Ford track”. 

In another interesting statistical data with regard to the current season, HMS and JGR both combined to win 10 of the 12 races this year, with sheer dominance. Not just that, but in the season’s first half, the two teams, together, led more than 50% of the laps in every non-super speedway race. However, the North Carolina track was the first non-super speedway race where other teams led more laps than HMS and JGR combined.

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick played a big part in the revolt and even though a freak move took him out of the race, he led a staggering 174 laps on Sunday.

Keselowski also led 37 laps in his Ford Mustang while his RFK racing teammate Chris Buescher led 21 laps. In total, the rest of the field led 82.25% of the laps at the notoriously difficult Darlington track. But what’s changed? How did Keselowski manage to break his winless streak at Darlington, one of the trickiest tracks to race, and how did some of the Stewart-Haas Racing drivers give such stellar performances? 

A sudden shift of gears for Ford drivers; Can they preserve their dominance?

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For starters, the Stewart-Haas Racing team performed brilliantly at Darlington. Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, and Chase Briscoe were evidently running strong. Looked almost as if a switch had been turned on. And Kevin Harvick, a former star for the SHR team, seemed to have the answer. He opined, “They are all racing to keep a job and get a job.”​​ With the rumors that SHR’s owner might just sell off the charters, drivers essentially are auditioning on track. They are showing their capability and putting in the extra effort. Which may have been the prime reason behind their dominance. 

And as for the man of the hour, Keselowski, it seems the team has made some tweaks. And according to Denny Hamlin, some talk in the garage suggests engine changes.

He said, “So, now you would say, ‘Man, these could be guys that contend on a more regular basis for wins, because they’ve figured something out, to get a little bit better. I know a lot of the talk in the garage is that they’ve gotten some engine upgrades, and that has helped things.”

Having said that, Hamlin did seem a little anxious about the competition. However, he also appreciated the No.6 team and said that a few Fords caught his eye. Reiterating how the manufacturer seemed stronger at Darlington, the #11 driver said, “They stayed up front the entire race. Pit crew kept them up there, when they needed to, to let the driver do his job, and race for the win. Ended with just an amazing, big win for that whole No. 6 team.”

Every team must have seen the sudden shift of pace for the Fords. What do you think, will Ford be able to sustain this dominance? Or was it just a flash in the pan? Let us know.