Indianapolis to Close Out Mustang Challenge Season

Photo: Fabian Lagunas/SRO

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will serve as the season-ending races for the inaugural season of Mustang Challenge next year, with the new-for-2024 single-make series having also confirmed its race format and sporting regulations.

The Brickyard event on Oct. 4-6 during SRO America’s Indianapolis 8 Hour presented by AWS weekend, replaces a previous to-be-confirmed event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The remainder of the calendar is unchanged, with the IMSA-sanctioned series kicking off at Mid-Ohio in June prior to stops at Watkins Glen International, Road America and Circuit of The Americas.

Additional details have also been released regarding the weekend format and class structure.

Each event will feature two 30-minute practice sessions, one 15-minute qualifying session and two 45-minute sprint races.

The field of up to 40 full season entries, with additional entries possible at Rounds 2 through 5, will be split into two classes – Dark Horse and Dark Horse Legends, the latter being an optional classification eligible to bronze-level drivers 45 years old and over.

Michelin has developed an all-new bespoke race tire for the series and teams will be eligible to purchase three new sets of these 295/30R19 Michelin race tires per weekend.

Ford Performance and Michelin will also have personnel on-site at each race weekend to directly support entrants of the series. Parts will be available at the track, however as this is also a production-based car, many parts will be available through local Ford dealers.

Each race will feature a podium celebration for both classes, as well as prize money awarded to overall 1st through 3rd place finishers.

Ford Performance will be offering an innovative championship prize structure for Mustang Challenge, encouraging progression in the Mustang sports car racing stable.

Dark Horse season champions will have two paths to choose from for prizes, a cash price of $40,000 or a $100,000 scholarship towards a Mustang GT3 or Mustang GT4 seat the following year. Both paths will be accompanied by a test day in a Mustang GT4.

Michelin is also supporting the Mustang racing ladder with overall championship prize of a set of tires per weekend for any driver racing a Mustang Dark Horse R, Mustang GT4 or Mustang GT3 in a Michelin series the following year.

Those finishing 2nd and 3rd overall in the championship will also receive cash payouts of $20,000 and $10,000 respectively.

Dark Horse Legends champions, meanwhile, will receive a cash prize of $20,000 or a test day in a Mustang GT4.

Pricing for Mustang Dark Horse R starts at $145,000. Deliveries are planned to begin next year, prioritizing customers competing in the full Mustang Challenge season

2024 Mustang Challenge Schedule (Updated):
June 7-9 — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
June 20-23– Watkins Glen International
Aug. 2-4 — Road America
Aug. 31-Sept. 1 — Circuit of The Americas
Oct. 4-6 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John