A dozen Mustang Dark Horse R race cars, a lineup pulled from across Ford Racing, and Daytona’s road course should make for an interesting Veterans Day. Ford’s inaugural Proud to Honor Veterans Day Classic is set for November 11, bringing six two-driver teams together to represent the six branches of the U.S. military.
Ford announced the driver pairings and military-inspired designs on October 28. For Mustang fans, the appeal is easy to understand: drivers normally associated with different cars and series will have a chance to compete in the same type of Mustang. The familiar names help, but seeing how those combinations work on track is where this gets interesting.
Who Is Driving the Mustangs?
Joey Hand and Brad Keselowski will represent the Army, while Ryan Blaney and Ben Hobson will race for the Marine Corps. The Navy pairing is Logan Sargeant and Ryan Preece, with Frankie Muniz and Austin Cindric representing the Air Force.
Noah Gragson and Layne Riggs make up the Space Force team. Joey Logano and Ty Majeski will carry the Coast Guard colors. That gives fans six pairings to follow through a compact race format.
Each branch also gets a distinct design. Ford drew inspiration from the Abrams tank, Assault Amphibious Vehicle, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, F-22 Raptor, X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle, and Sentinel-class cutter. The Army-themed Mustang shown here is part of that collection. Ford’s driver and livery announcement shows the full lineup.
A Short Race With a Bigger Purpose
The schedule calls for 15 minutes of qualifying and a 30-minute race around Daytona’s 12-turn, 3.6-mile road course. With only half an hour of racing, there will be little time to recover from a poor start or an on-track mistake.
The event was developed with NASCAR, IMSA, Historic Sportscar Racing, and Blue Star Families. Ford says half of ticket proceeds will benefit Blue Star Families. Its Proud to Honor Fund also supports Camp Southern Ground, DAV, Team Rubicon, TAPS, and the Travis Manion Foundation.
When and Where to Watch
USA Network will air the event from 8–10 p.m. Eastern on November 11, with a live stream on Fandango’s free platform. Zac Brown Band headlines the music lineup, joined by Russell Dickerson, Jo Dee Messina, Brittney Spencer, and Warren Zeiders.
General admission starts at $110, with VIP tickets starting at $305, according to Ford’s announcement. Veterans verified through GovX can receive a 20 percent discount. Fans considering the trip can check current ticket availability and event details at the official Veterans Day Classic website.
Featured image credit: Ford Motor Company / From the Road. Original source.
