“Salty” Ford’s Response to Hendrick Motorsports’ Special Privilege Has Fans Calling Them “Kardashians With Race Cars”

Over the past few months, Ford has been cooking up several ambitious plans. Among them are plans to enter the Formula One arena as an engine supplier. Now, CEO Jim Farley has confirmed that another big plan is in the works, and he has NASCAR to thank for that.

More specifically, he has Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports to thank. Especially after they dropped a bombshell about competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Now, the 2023 edition of the iconic endurance race is almost here, and Hendrick Motorsports has succeeded. They have finally been able to field a NASCAR car in this race, driven by Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button.

Seeing this, Farley and Ford now want a piece of the Le Mans pie, with the launch of the Ford Mustang GT3.

NASCAR Fans Did Not Take Too Kindly to This Attitude

Sure, it must have stung Ford and Toyota when Chevrolet pounced on the opportunity alone. However, Ford seems to be taking the snub particularly badly, and Farley didn’t hesitate to speak his mind.

He told NBC Sports, “They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party. We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.”

To this, fans said:

“Somebody seems a little salty.”

“That’s the most polite, “F*ck you NASCAR for not including us.” I’ve ever heard.”

“This is why I like Chevy more than Ford”

The general consensus from fans was that Ford was bitter about being left out of the Le Mans plan. As a result, they held a bit of a grudge and have lashed out with a separate entry for 2024. According to reports, Ford are fielding two Mustang GT3 cars in the IMSA and the World Endurance Championship. With this, they hope to find themselves on the 24 Hours of Le Mans grid in 2024.

The last time Ford competed in sports car racing was in 2019. This was when the manufacturer was part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. Prior to that, CGR snatched a class win at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was interesting to not that the occasion was special because it marked the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

“Absolutely love seeing the move away from NASCAR. It’s turned into the Kardashians with race cars.”

“Doesn’t get much more salty than this”

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How did Hendrick Motorsports eventually reach Le Mans?

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It all started last year, when NASCAR expressed a desire to field a Next Gen car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In light of this, Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports teamed up to establish Garage 56. To prepare, the manufacturer build a heavily modified version of the Next Gen car and conducted various tests all of last year.

Once they were ready, they drafted Johnson, Rockenfeller and Button to drive the car. If the timings are anything to go by, the Chevrolet Camaro is one quick car and is challenging some of its rivals. Who knows, maybe the success of the Hendrick Motorsports car lit a fire under Ford to take this step.

According to Farley, Garage 56 was nothing but a marketing exercise for NASCAR. He wanted to do something that could challenge the likes of Porsche, Aston Martin and Ferrari, instead of running a separate category.

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