Mercury was an American automotive manufacturer that was a brand of Ford Motor Company. The brand was founded in 1938 as a brand of mid-priced automobiles slotted between the lower priced Ford brand and luxury Lincoln brand. Mercury competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1949 through 1980, and was most famously associated with Wood Brothers Racing throughout the 1970s.
Despite not running in competition after the 1980 season, the Mercury Cougar model was a possible option for competition as late as 1993, and was planned to be ran at Talladega by Cale Yarborough Motorsports. However, rain at a test in Daytona prevented the team from determining how feasible the body style would be, as well as preventing it from being approved by NASCAR, and so the team ran the Ford Thunderbird instead.[1]
Mercury was eventually closed by the Ford Motor Company on January 4, 2011.