Crossovers between motorsports and their respective drivers are nothing new, but Ford Performance decided to take it to another level this week.
In the latest episode of the YouTube series Hoonicorn vs. The World produced by Hoonigan Racing, NASCAR Cup Series rookie Chase Briscoe found himself pitted against of the most iconic racing vehicles of the modern era, and its driver.
The legendary Hoonicorn driven by Ken Block is a 1965 Ford Mustang with a 6.7-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine, producing a gargantuan 1,400 horsepower and 1,250 ft-lb of torque.
Briscoe took the wheel of the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that packs a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 engine that sends upwards of 760HP to the rear wheels. The 2020 GT500 is currently the Fastest Production Mustang ever.
The YouTube series was inspired by fans of the Forza Motorsport series of games for Xbox and PC from Microsoft. Fans would pit the Hoonicorn against every vehicle from specially-tuned drift and drag cars, to modern supercars.
The matchup consisted of three straight-line drag races on an abandoned airstrip in southern California, including both standing and rolling starts.
“Once the cars got past 60 mph, they were pretty even,” said Briscoe about drag racing against the Hoonicorn. “But taking off – the Hoonicorn having all-wheel drive was definitely an advantage.”
With the Hoonicorn’s unique body design and engine bay, it’s no surprise that the professional race car driver in Briscoe was even surprised at the sheer power.
“That car is just unbelievable,” Briscoe said. “Anytime you have all-wheel drive, it’s obviously going to take off really well, but when you can put 1,400 horsepower to the ground, it’s insane. The exhaust comes out through the hood, it’s throwing flames – it was violent to be beside. The Hoonicorn is just so loud and powerful. It was even shaking my car. It’s just crazy what that car is capable of, and Ken can push it to its limit.”
Interestingly, the Hoonicorn and NASCAR actually have more things in common than fans may realize. The 410 cubic-inch V8 engine that powers the Hoonicorn is actually a modified engine from Roush Yates Engines, which builds countless engines for Ford Performance teams such as Stewart-Haas Racing.
“The whole experience was incredible,” Briscoe said. “Just seeing the Hoonicorn in the first place was worth the trip, and to also be one of the few guys to do one of the Hoonicorn vs. The World videos was awesome. Those videos always get tons of views. It was cool to be a part of it and, hopefully, we get to do more. I’d love to do one of their Gymkhana videos and do a little more than just drag racing.”
Similarly, Briscoe’s boss and hero Tony Stewart also tried his hand recently at drag racing, as recently shared on his brand new YouTube Channel.
