For decades, Ford has been a cornerstone of NASCAR’s identity, carrying a legacy of championships, powerhouse organizations, and fan loyalty that helped define the sport’s competitive balance. But in 2025, the Blue Oval finds itself teetering between reverence for its past and the harsh realities of its present. The struggles Ford has endured in the NASCAR Cup Series this year go far beyond weekly box scores and inconsistent playoff runs. They reflect something more structural: a manufacturer strategy built heavily on loyalty, legacy teams, and tradition, a formula that once worked but now seems to be holding Ford back in a sport increasingly defined by flexibility, innovation, and deep pipelines of talent.

The collapse of Stewart-Haas Racing serves as the clearest case study. For Ford, S

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