ARCA Ford Mustang (ARCAFM)

For stock car racers looking to become the next NASCAR Cup Series champion, the ARCA Menards Series is the first step towards glory. While ARCA shares many short tracks with various late model series, its national tour also incorporates the biggest, fastest ovals in America, including Daytona International Speedway-where running the ARCA season opener often serves as the first step for drivers who want to compete in the Daytona 500.

The current ARCA composite body was unveiled in late 2014, debuted on short tracks in 2015, and started running on super speedways in 2016 before fully taking over from the steel-body cars in 2020. The Ford Mustang made its ARCA debut in 2022, taking over from the Fusion that had served as the brand's initial composite car, but its adoption didn't become more widespread until the next year.