Cole Loftsgard has hit the ground running so far this year in his debut season in the Ford Mustang Challenge North America series and believes his performances this season can serve as a launchpad for a long-term career with Ford Racing.
With four wins and a second-place finish in the six total races he has completed in the Dark Horse R, the Round 3 Racing driver has established himself as a favourite for this year’s championship, leading the standings by 90 points to Devin Anderson in second.
The 2026 season promised an opportunity for new faces and names in the series to rise to prominence, as two-time dominant champion Robert Noaker took the next step up in the Ford development pyramid, racing for McCumbee McAleer Racing in the Mustang GT4 in the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Ford’s pyramid system is a clearly defined path for drivers to begin in one-make series such as Mustang Cup USA, then move to Mustang Challenge, then to GT4 racing, and ultimately to GT3. Then next season, the Ford Hypercar programme debuts, becoming the ultimate step in their stratified pathway.
This is highly attractive to drivers like Loftsgard, who are experienced in the lower rungs of sportscar racing and looking to take the next step.
Loftsgard began his racing journey in 2018, competing in the SCCA and, more recently, in the WRL. In seasons past, he has gained experience racing Mustangs in particular.
“I actually started my sportscar racing endeavours back in late 2018, basically 2019, in a Mustang,” said Loftsgard, speaking with DSC. “I’ve always felt like I was pretty good in, you know, big heavy cars. I felt like that type of platform suited my driving style, and Mustang Challenge, when it was announced a few years ago, it really caught my eye immediately.”
A unique aspect of the Mustang Challenge is that the Dark Horse R features a manual gearbox, which is an attractive element for the American rookie.
“I like what it stands for, I like, you know, old school manual transmissions and big heavy V8 sports cars. It was an intriguing series right off the bat.”
Getting into the series was a goal Loftsgard had harboured since the series began back in 2024, as a step into professional racing, sharing weekends with IMSA and getting more attention from the wider racing world, as well as from Ford itself. In taking this step, he wanted to work with a team he already knew and had success with: Round 3 Racing.
“In the lead-up to [Mustang Challenge’s series debut], I didn’t have an immediate opportunity in 2024 or 2025.
“Myself and Brad McCall at Round 3 Racing, we have a really good relationship. We started together back in 2021 I had just came into the team as you know, an arrive-and-drive driver, and the relationship between us grew from there.
“We had been racing for several years at that point, and I talked to him in the middle of 25 and just said, I want to do something else next year. I want to do some quote-unquote pro racing series either in SRO or IMSA, and particularly, I have my eye on the Mustang Challenge.”
The biggest factor that attracted the now-championship leader to the series was the potential to grow a relationship with Ford and be put in a position to move up the ranks if he succeeded at this level. To him, this showed a significant investment on the manufacturer’s part by putting support behind drivers who shone in Ford machinery when given the chance.
“One of the major reasons that I wanted to find my way into Mustang Challenge was because I knew Ford had just launched this driver development programme.
“I knew that they had big plans for sportscar racing, with the Hypercar program, and the GT3, and I just saw an opportunity there. I thought, if I can get in there, if I can perform well in front of Ford, I probably have a good chance of getting into the driver development programme, and once I’m in there, I’ve got a chance to be considered for a larger role as a driver with Ford.”
if I can perform well in front of Ford, I probably have a good chance of getting into the driver development programme
Members of the Ford Driver Development programme include series champion Robert Noaker, Sam Paley, and Nate Cicero, as well as current Mustang Challenge full-time entrants Devin Anderson and Will Lucas.
Loftsgard named Noaker directly when speaking about what his ideal path looks like at this point in his career.
“I mean, Robert Noaker’s model was exactly what I was looking at. Not just him, but you know, Sam Paley as well. There’s a couple of drivers [from Mustang Challenge] that have support from Ford, and appear to really be on the right track.”
Coming into the season, Loftsgard had a rough idea of where his pace might measure up compared to the rest of the field. After some testing at COTA and Sebring before the season, he was positive about how the data looked, but he did not expect to be immediately at the sharp end of the field.
“I had some confidence, but I certainly didn’t think I was going to come in and win both races [in the opening round]. A successful weekend for me was going to be if I could come out of [Sebring] with a couple of podiums, at least show that I can compete up front.
“Winning those two races, particularly in the fashion that we did, you know, I didn’t expect that. That was a big moment for me.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself there, because I know what needs to happen, and as they say, pressure is a privilege.”
Heading to Watkins Glen this weekend after yet another good showing at Mid-Ohio, with a win and a P2 finish after two competitive outings, from the outside, it surely shows he can carry this momentum. However, if you ask him, he is still looking for more out of the car every time he straps into the driver’s seat.
“I’m still a student of the car; I’m still trying to figure out how to really drive the car at the limit consistently.”
Images courtesy of Ford Racing
