Ford has asked NASCAR for approval to run the Mustang in the Sprint Cup Series starting in 2013, according to the Associated Press. The approval, which could take all year, is dependent upon the Mustang being competitively equal to the other cars in the series.

Ford wants its Cup cars to more-closely resemble the cars that can be purchased at the dealership.

Jamie Allison, of Ford’s North American motorsports division, said:

We have declared our interest to NASCAR that we would like to see the Mustang in Cup. … We are driving to make sure that the car we race is more consistent and more in context with the cars we sell. They have to look like the cars we sell.