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Ford unveils Mustang for Cup competition in 2019

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Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick discuss the return of the Ford Mustang to the Cup Series next season and the success of Stewart-Haas Racing.

Ford revealed the Mustang model that it will debut in the Cup Series next year during a ceremony Thursday at the Ford Motor Company World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.

The announcement had all 13 Ford Cup drivers in attendance. Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart drove a version of the Mustang onto a stage at the announcement.

The Mustang makes the move to the Cup Series after being raced full-time in the Xfinity Series since 2011. It joins Chevrolet’s Camaro, which debuted this season, and the Toyota Camry.

The Mustang - which debuted in 1964 - is the longest running model for Ford. The 10 millionth Mustang rolled off the production line on Wednesday.

“Mustang has raced since it was first sold in 1964,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s executive vice president of product development and purchasing, in a press release. “After more than a half-century, it feels great to finally let Mustang run in the top echelon of America’s most popular stock car racing series.”

The Mustang first competed in 1964, when it won the Tour de France Automobile, a 4,000 mile, 10-day rally. It has also raced in SCCA Trans-Am, IMSA, NHRA and Formula Drift.

“We look forward to seeing the Ford Mustang, a cultural icon, on the track in the most competitive series in all of motorsports,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, in a press release. “Our sport eagerly anticipates the performance, style and fanfare the Mustang will bring to the track each weekend beginning at the 2019 Daytona 500.”