Five Landmark Days in Ford’s NASCAR History

It all began in 1901, when Henry Ford stunned the automotive world. In a 10-lap race at the Detroit Driving Club in Michigan, the pioneer defeated the heavily favored, renowned auto designer Alexander Winton. In doing so, Ford’s new company announced itself as a racing line to be reckoned with – nearly fifty years before NASCAR had even formed. 

The Ford brand was there at NASCAR’s inception, and it maintains one of racing’s most storied track records to this day. Charles Gabus Ford looks back at five pivotal days throughout Ford’s decorated NASCAR history: 

June 25, 1950: Jimmy Florian wins first NASCAR race in a Ford vehicle. 

Stock car racer Jimmy Florian’s win at the Dayton Raceway in 1950 was remarkable for two reasons: it marked the first NASCAR victory for a Ford vehicle… and Florian crossed the finish line half-naked.  

The mechanic-turned-racer cruised past the speedy, Oldsmobile-driven competition en route to capturing the checkered flag. Upon pulling into the winner’s circle, Florian emerged from his No. 27 Ford in just pants, shoes, and helmet, having ripped off his shirt in the middle of the race due to the day’s humidity. The scene earned him the nickname “Shirtless” Jimmy, and caused NASCAR to hastily implement a rule requiring its drivers to remain fully-clothed during races. 

February 24, 1963: Massive underdog Tiny Lund wins first Daytona 500 for Ford. 

Lund wasn’t even supposed to be behind the wheel of the No. 21 Galaxy 500 the day Ford captured its first Dayton 500. But the car’s prospective driver, Marvin Panch, flipped his Maserati sports car during practice for a preliminary race at Daytona, suffering serious (though not life-threatening) burns as a result. One of the mechanics who rushed to rescue Panch from the burning wreckage was DeWayne Louis “Tiny” Lund. 

From his hospital bed, Panch suggested Lund as his replacement… even though the journeyman was winless in 132 Cup Series events. But the Wood Brothers racing team devised a calculated strategy that proved (barely) successful, as Lund completed the entire race in the same set of tires and made one fewer pit stop than the competition. 

February 20, 2000: Dale Jarrett wins Ford’s 10th Daytona 500. 

Dale Jarrett spent time with various race teams throughout his illustrious, 24-year career – but his longest stint with the same crew was with Ford’s Robert Yates racing team. In 2000, he won his third Daytona 500 (and second driving a Ford, after winning the 1996 race in his second year on the team). It was also Ford’s tenth total Daytona 500 victory, nearly 37 years after Tiny Lund brought home the inaugural win. 

At the time, Jarrett became just the second driver to win multiple Daytona 500 races in a Ford. (Bill Elliott was a Ford winner in both 1985 and 1987). Matt Kenseth would later tie their mark thanks to wins in 2009 and 2012. But between those wins… 

February 20, 2011: Trevor Bayne wins the Daytona 500 for Ford’s 600th NASCAR victory. 

Talk about having yourself a day at the race track! Ford stood atop all three podium spots at the 53rd running of the Daytona 500, as rookie Trevor Bayne, Carl Edwards, and David Gilliland finished the race 1-2-3, respectively. Bayne wasn’t even of legal drinking age yet; he became the youngest racer to win the Daytona 500, doing so just a day after his twentieth birthday. With the win, he also nabbed Ford their 600th NASCAR victory. A fairly productive day for the brand all around.

June 17, 2013: Greg Biffle wins the Quicken Loans 400, Ford’s 1000th NASCAR win.  

Though the race itself was just one of many events in NASCAR’s Cup Series in 2013, Biffle’s win marked a major milestone for Ford: 1,000 combined victories in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. 

Today, Ford continues to dominate NASCAR. The past two Cup Series champions – Joey Logano in 2022 and Ryan Blaney in 2023 – are both members of Team Penske, who fields Ford Mustangs in the circuit.  

At this point, chances are your inner-racer is champing at the bit and you want to get behind the wheel of a sleek, performance-first Ford vehicle today. Race on over to Charles Gabus Ford and check out our entire selection of new and used cars, trucks, and SUVs. Whether you need new tires, brakes, or an oil change, Charles Gabus is Des Moines’s number one pit stop.