Ford Continue Its Championship Ways in NASCAR

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer

Ford Performance drivers have certainly hit its stride when it comes to NASCAR’s Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway with Joey Logano and Ty Majeski winning titles in the sport’s national touring divisions.

Entering last week’s finale, Ford had a hot streak of four straight championships dating back to Logano’s second Cup title in 2022 that was extended to five when Majeski won the Craftsman Truck Series title.

However, a shot at six consecutive touring titles came up short in the Xfinity Series when Cole Custer lost to Chevrolet’s Justin Allgaier. Fortunately, the “Blue Oval” brand bounced back in the premiere series as both Logano and his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney were among the top cars in last Sunday’s 312-lap finale with Logano besting Blaney for Penske’s first 1-2 season in Cup.

When it was all set and done, Ford left Arizona with the aforementioned two titles and have now won seven out of the last nine NASCAR championships.

Global Director of Ford Performance Mark Rushbrook couldn’t be more proud of both Logano and Majeski’s title runs, both of whom dominated the race to capture NASCAR gold. Even if they didn’t win the Xfinity title, a Ford-powered machine was still in victory lane as Riley Herbst capped off the year with his second win of the year by leading the most laps.

“We love winning the championship. And I don’t look in the history too much. I just look at the one that’s in front of us and the next one that’s coming up after that,” said Rushbrook during last Sunday’s post-race press conference.

“This just keeps building the momentum for our program. We feel like we’ve been working really hard for a really long time to build it, and it’s certainly starting to pay off with the investment in the people and the tools and the partners.”

Majeski’s championship was a full circle moment for Rushbrook as the Wisconsin racer previously drove Fords in the Xfinity Series in 2018, driving for Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 60 program. It was a disastrous season for the program as neither Majeski, and current Cup drivers Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric were able to buy luck and the team closed its program at season’s end.

For Majeski, it was a long road to redemption ranging from excelling in late models to a less than ideal tenure at Niece Motorsports before landing a spot at ThorSport Racing in 2021 where he was an employed engineer before getting a chance in driving a Ford F-150, let alone full-time.

All the trails and tribulations paid off for Majeski and Rushbrook is pleased he was able to find a team that believed in him.

“I was actually thinking about that a lot during the race and the amount of time that has passed from when we first met Ty and having him in different programs with RFK,” said Rushbrook last Friday. “We even put him in IMSA and Mustang GT4’s for a while and to see that he’s found such a great home at ThorSport and see him celebrating success with race wins and especially this championship.

“It’s really a proud moment for us because, like I said, it’s all about the people and relationships. To have that duration with him means a lot.”

Logano’s title Sunday was his third Cup title in seven years, becoming the 10th driver to win at least three titles which haven’t been done since Tony Stewart in 2011. All three of his titles have been in a Ford and it marked Roger Penske’s fifth Cup title, including the last three in succession that’s only previously been done by Junior Johnson (1976-78) and Rick Hendrick (1995-98, 2006-2011).

Rushbrook said Logano has been an incredible ambassador for Ford since he moved to Penske in 2013. But what he admires about the 34-year-old veteran is how he is on-and-off the track which doesn’t go unnoticed.

“The greatest thing about Joey is he’s a competitor on the track, and when he puts a helmet on, he doesn’t give an inch. But off the track he’s a regular person, and he just wants to work hard and do well,” said Rushbrook. “He’s a great family man, and he’s a great partner for us in what he does with his charity and how we partner together on that charity to give back.

“I think the fact that he is so focused as a competitor but able to have the bandwidth and the time to do things like that, it means a lot to us in terms of who he is as a person.”

As the sport prepares for the 2025 season, one goal Ford has is to continue its undefeated run of championships in the current generation Cup car. Adapting to change has been Ford’s biggest strengths thus far and Rushbrook hopes the amount of hard work can continue for the long haul.

“Anytime there are new rules or especially a new car, the best team will rise to the top to be able to learn that new car,” Rushbrook commented.

“We’ve certainly had our challenges. Across all of the four teams and including Team Penske, we didn’t win as many races as we wanted at the start of the 23 season or the start of this ’24 season, but you just have to keep working on every element of the program. It’s that work ethic, it’s attention to detail, and don’t leave anything on the table.”