Ford’s previous involvement in Formula One concluded in 2003 with Giancarlo Fisichella’s victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix, driving a Jordan-Ford. Prior to this, Ford-powered cars achieved success in the late 1960s, with Jim Clark driving a Lotus-Ford to victory in the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix, marking Ford's first Grand Prix win. Graham Hill secured both the driver’s and constructor’s world championships for Ford in 1968, also driving a Lotus-Ford.
While primarily known for its success in other motorsport categories, Ford has a long and storied racing history dating back to its earliest days. Henry Ford achieved a speed of 20 mph in his first car, the Quadricycle, in 1896. In 1901, Henry Ford defeated Alexander Winton in a 10-lap race at the Detroit Driving Club, driving his Sweepstakes racer. This victory contributed to the launch of the Ford Motor Company in 1902, with Barney Oldfield driving the Ford 999. Oldfield continued to push the boundaries of speed, lapping the Indiana Fairgrounds dirt track at a then-record 60 mph in 1903 driving the 999. Henry Ford set the world one mile record on a frozen lake near Detroit in 1904, driving a rebuilt 999, and Frank Kulick drove a Ford 20 hp racer to track records the same year. Kulick further demonstrated Ford’s engineering prowess by setting the world 24-hour track endurance record in 1907, traveling 1135 miles in a Ford Model K.
Ford’s racing heritage extends to endurance and cross-country events. A Ford Model T won the transcontinental New York to Seattle race in 1909. The introduction of the V-8 Flathead engine in 1932 brought V-8 power to a wider audience, impacting both road cars and racing. In 1936, Ionel Zamfirescu and P. G. Cristea won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Ford V8 "Flathead".
Ford’s success in American motorsports is also significant. Jim Roper won the first NASCAR race in 1949 driving a Lincoln, and Jimmy Florian secured a NASCAR victory for Ford in 1950 at Dayton, Ohio. Tiny Lund won the first Daytona 500 for Ford in 1963. Later, Dale Jarrett secured Ford’s 10th Daytona 500 win in 2000, and Trevor Bayne won the race in 2011, marking Ford’s 600th NASCAR victory. Greg Biffle won the Quicken Loans 400 in 2013, achieving Ford’s 1000th NASCAR win, and Joey Logano won the NASCAR Cup Championship in 2018.
Ford’s involvement in IndyCar racing has been marked by both direct participation and a strong partnership with Cosworth. Jim Clark gave Ford its first of six Indianapolis 500 wins between 1965 and 1971. Ford via Cosworth won its first Indy 500 in 1976 and subsequently dominated IndyCar racing with the Cosworth DFX engine, achieving 81 consecutive victories from 1981 to 1986, and a total of 153 victories. The Ford-Cosworth DFX engine also won all USAC and CART championships between 1977 and 1987.
More recently, Ford has continued to compete in various racing series. Michael Schumacher won his first driver’s world championship with a Ford-powered Benetton B194 car in 1994. In 2012, Michael Shank Racing won the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona with a Ford-engined Riley chassis. Ford launched Ford Performance in 2015, winning the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona overall with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates using a Ford Ecoboost Riley DP. Ford entered four Ford GT cars in the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans GTE Pro class, finishing 1–3–4–10.
Currently, Ford Racing teams compete in NASCAR with Wood Brothers Racing, Team Penske, RFK Racing, and Front Row Motorsports, Australian Supercars Championship with Blanchard Racing Team, Dick Johnson Racing, Grove Racing, Tickford Racing, and Triple Eight Race Engineering, the World Endurance Championship with Proton Competition, and the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Multimatic Motorsports.