It didn’t take the auto manufacturers long to realize the potential marketing bonanza that the new-for-1966 Trans-American racing series represented. For the 1967 season, Ford stepped up to field a team of factory-backed Mercury Cougars, built and campaigned by the well-known Bud Moore of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and driven by Dan Gurney and Parnelli Jones. Mercury was a contender for the Manufactures’ Championship title right up until the last race, in Kent, Washington. A Cougar finish ahead of a Mustang would have clinched it for Mercury, but Gurney finished behind Ron Bucknum’s Mustang. Final points tally: Ford, 64; Mercury, 62.