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Ford will be the Featured Marque of the 12th running of the HSR Daytona Classic 24 Hour presented by Mission Foods at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), November 11 – 15, 2026.
The HSR Daytona Classic 24 Hour is an annual tribute race to the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Ford has taken home 20 first-place trophies from the Rolex 24, including its first 24-hour victory in 1966 by Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby in a Ford GT 40 Mk II in the first Daytona race to officially run the 24-hour distance.
The 1966 Daytona 24-hour race victory marks its 60th anniversary next year, but will not be Ford’s only major motorsports milestone of note in 2026. The main and year-long celebration, which will be one of the primary focal points of next year’s HSR Daytona Classic 24 Hour, is the incredible 125th Anniversary of Ford’s first race win.
In October 1901, a young Henry Ford stunned the racing world when he piloted his self-built “Sweepstakes” racer to victory at Grosse Pointe Raceway. Defeating Alexander Winton, the most accomplished driver of the era, Ford secured the backing that would lead to the creation of the Ford Motor Company.
Four more overall Rolex 24 victories followed the initial 1966 win in addition to a seemingly unstoppable run of GT-class victories by Jack Roush prepared Mustangs in the 1980s and 1990s.
Today, the next chapter in Ford’s incredible Rolex 24 At Daytona history is being written by the modern-era Mustang GT3 program. Appropriately announced during the 2022 Rolex 24 At Daytona, the Mustang GT3 claimed its first victory in worldwide sports car racing competition at this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, the opening round of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Even better, the winning No. 65 entry was joined on the GT Daytona (GTD) Pro podium by its sister No. 64 entry in third place.
Ford has built a powerful reputation as always being a brand to beat on the 3.56-mile DIS road course, and that competitive presence continues and will be celebrated both next year and this weekend at the HSR Classic Daytona 24. The 11th running of the HSR Classic Daytona 24 Hour takes place this weekend, November 5 – 9, 2025.
A frequent HSR competitor is Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley, who joined legendary Formula 1 designer, engineer and technical wizard Adrian Newey in Newey’s 1965 No. 5 Ford GT40 Mk I (pictured at bottom) in the 2023 HSR Classic Daytona 24. The power duo finished a close third in Run Group A.
In another one of the 2023 race’s strong performances, an immaculate Ford-powered 1979 No. 35 De Tomaso Pantera, piloted by veteran top-tier sports car driver and Le Mans class winner Ralf Kelleners, took control of Run Group B from the green flag. The decisive victory for the winged, wide-bodied and flame-throwing GT machine was a popular one for the immaculate Pantera that was an instant fan and paddock favorite.
