Mid-Ohio to Return on 2026 Mustang Challenge Schedule

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Ford

The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will return to the Mustang Challenge North America calendar next year, as part of a six-event schedule for the single-make series featuring the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.

Released on Friday, the third season will again kick off at Sebring International Raceway in March, in support of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, followed by a return trip to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, also as part of an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend.

It will be followed by a return to Mid-Ohio, the site of the series’ inaugural event in 2023. Mid-Ohio was not on this year’s schedule due to the proximity of the Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational.

After Mid-Ohio, the series will make return visits to Watkins Glen International, Virginia International Raceway before closing out the season at Circuit of The Americas as part of the Lone Star Le Mans FIA World Endurance Championship event in early September.

“Every decision for Mustang Challenge North America is for the best experience of our customer,” said Ford Performance global one-make series manager Chris Ward. “The schedule is a critical first step to each season as it sets the tone for the year.

“We feel we have the best blend of tracks for our drivers and teams as well as their families.

“The calendar has us in the paddock of premier tracks with the top sports car racing series in the world, surrounded by the Mustang GT4 and GT3 race cars many of our drivers aspire to drive.”

Mustang Challenge North America is open to drivers who hold up to an FIA Silver rating and features two classes — Dark Horse and Dark Horse Legends.

All drivers can compete in the Dark Horse class while the Legends category is an optional categorization for any Bronze-level driver who is 45 years old and over.

Each Mustang Challenge race weekend features two 30-minute practice sessions, one 15-minute qualifying session, and two 45-minute sprint races.

2026 Mustang Challenge North America Schedule:
March 18-20 — Sebring International Raceway
May 1-3 — WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
June 5-7 — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
June 25-27 — Watkins Glen International
Aug. 21-23 — Virginia International Raceway
Sept. 4-6 — Circuit of The Americas (WEC)

Source: Sports Car 365