Ford fielded cars for 20 drivers in 2023 and ended up clinching championships across all three NASCAR series. With the 2024 season just a few days away, which of these formidable drivers champions the carmaker the best? NBC recently announced its Ford Performance power rankings and it held quite a few surprising entries in it. The former Cup Series champion Joey Logano led the field ahead of his teammate and champion Ryan Blaney.
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Logano joined Team Penske in 2013 and has reached the Championship 4 in five seasons, winning the title twice. 2023 Champion Ryan Blaney came up second on the list for his accomplishments in the #12 Ford Mustang. Similar to Logano, Blaney too has been associated with Team Penske since the 2013 season. He reached the playoffs on seven occasions and finally won the title last year. He has 10 Cup Series wins for Ford. Former Penske star and current co-owner of RFK Racing Brad Keselowski finds himself trailing Blaney in the rankings.
Three @NASCAR champs walk into @Ford WHQ… pic.twitter.com/dL6gmlZEkB
— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) December 8, 2023
During his initial days with Penske, Keselowski drove a Dodge with which he won a Cup Series championship. Since the 2013 season, he has been driving a Ford for 10 seasons now and has won one Truck race, 19 Xfinity races, and 26 Cup races in it. Keselowski has seen the postseason with the carmaker in 9 seasons and the Championship 4 in 2.
Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer breaks into the Ford rankings
The three big names were followed by RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher. The #17 driver had a big breakthrough last season winning 3 races and reaching the Round of 8. He has five Cup wins for Ford and a championship in the Xfinity Series. A new driver who broke into the rankings in 2023 and clinched the 5th spot in it was the current Xfinity champion, Cole Custer.
Custer’s title was the sole consolation for a suffering Stewart-Haas Racing that is hoping to make a comeback in 2024. Thus far, Custer has 13 Xfinity wins and 1 victory lane visit in the Cup Series. At just 26, he could end up being a crucial driver in Ford’s roster over the coming seasons. His name is followed by other top-tier drivers including Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric.
2023 was the second year of continual success for Ford Performance. In 2022, the carmaker had two championships, courtesy of Logano in the Cup Series and Zane Smith in Trucks. Carrying the added 2023 momentum into the coming season, it can be very optimistic about its chances.
