Catchfence

Sure, the Ford Fusion sedan makes a decent NASCAR racer. But Fusion, a family sedan on a racetrack? It’s easy to see why both NASCAR and automakers wanted to get their hands on something with a hotter reputation. Like, say, Ford Mustang.

The NASCAR Mustang makes its long-awaited debut at the Daytona International Speedway on Friday for NASCAR’s nationwide series, and Ford isn’t missing a moment to promote it.

“NASCAR came to us and wanted to differentiate the Nationwide Series from the Cup Series,” says Pat DiMarco, Ford’s NASCAR Program manager. “Initially we looked at Fusion to keep the branding the same across both series, but when they really wanted to differentiate it, the natural choice was Mustang.”

- USA Today