Mustang Challenge action continued at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with Race 1, where Cole Loftsgard captured another victory in the Dark Horse class aboard the No. 42 Round 3 Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, while Pablo Salvatorre earned Legends class honors in the family-owned No. 84 Torre Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.

At the start, Spark Performance’s Nolan Alleer jumped out front of championship leader Loftsgard in the No. 3 Dark Horse class entry. Further back, Legends pole sitter Dave Luaces brought his No. 37 Birdhouse Racing Mustang down pit road before the green flag, effectively ending the team’s first race of the season before it began and allowing Salvatorre to inherit the class lead.

Fifteen minutes into the race, more drama unfolded in the Dark Horse category. Leading at the time, Alleer went off track in Turn 1 and sustained significant underbody damage. The incident dropped the former Indy NXT driver down the order and handed the class lead to Loftsgard.

Championship contender Chris Clarke also endured a difficult afternoon. After starting at the rear of the field following a red flag-causing incident in qualifying, the Dark Horse points leader was assessed a 10-second penalty during the race. Clarke’s day worsened when he was forced to pit with a left-front issue, ending any hopes of a podium finish.

Joining Loftsgard on the Dark Horse class podium were Devin Anderson, who finished second in the No. 22 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, and Sandy Satullo, who claimed third in the No. 7 Wheelhouse Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.

“The start didn’t go very well, and then I was just trying to maintain position for the first couple of laps,” Loftsgard said. “The plan was to try to take care of the tires and let the race come to me, and it did. I’m happy to come home with the win. My Dark Horse R was really good, and Round 3 Racing did an amazing job.”

In the Legends class, Joseph Dederichs continued Wheelhouse Motorsports’ strong weekend with a runner-up finish in the No. 63 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, the only other car in class to finish on the lead lap. Joe Koenig completed the podium with a third-place result in the No. 70 Round 3 Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.

“This is my first time [at Mid-Ohio] so I went out there and was just figuring out what I needed to do,” Salvatorre said. “I drove and did what I could and stayed clean. I’m pretty proud of myself and my team for this accomplishment. It’s still unbelievable to me.”

Ford CEO Jim Farley also earned a top-10 finish in the No. 17 Wheelhouse Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R in what is expected to be his final Mustang Challenge race weekend of the 2026 season.

The Mustang Challenge weekend concludes Sunday, June 7, with Race 2 scheduled for 9:00 a.m. ET. The 45-minute race will be broadcast live on Peacock and streamed internationally on IMSA’s official YouTube channel and IMSA.tv.

 

Images & Quotes Courtesy to Ford/Mustang Challenge