SEE IT: NASCAR’s Electric SUV Racer Revealed In Leaked Photo
NASCAR is going electric … at some point.
During the NASCAR State of the Sport press conference last week, series president Steve Phelps confirmed the series has built an electric race car that it’s been testing and plans to publicly demonstrate next year.
He didn’t say much, but did reveal that it has an “alternative body style” compared to the cars and trucks that currently race in NASCAR.
Rumor has had it that it would feature SUV-based styling and now an image that is purportedly of the prototype has leaked onto the internet.
WHO IS NASCAR’S MOST POPULAR DRIVER?
It has an two-door, coupe-style SUV body with a separate rear wing on tall stands, more like an endurance racing car than a NASCAR car.
The styling is somewhat generic in the same way that the original Next Gen Cup Series car prototypes were, but has scallops behind the front fenders that are similar to those on the production Blazer EV and a front end design that looks like a conglomeration of that and a Ford Mustang Mach-E.
Road & Track also reported on the vehicle with intel from insiders and published a sketch, but not an original photo.
The big giveaway that it is electric is that there are no visible exhaust pipes. The current Next Gen Cup Series platform, on which it is understood to be built, features side-exit exhaust pipes in the rocker panels.
NASCAR has not confirmed or denied that the image is of the car Phelps was talking about.
It’s no surprise that NASCAR would go the SUV route for this, as many of the mainstream electric models coming out — like the Blazer EV, Mach-E and Toyota bZ4X — are compact crossovers, rather than sedans, and none are coupes.
NASCAR’S NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY REPAVED — SEE THE PHOTOS
A leaked document reported on by Kickin’ the Tires in 2022 said NASCAR was aiming to hold a demonstration at this year’s Clash at the Coliseum that would be followed by a six-race exhibition series with 12 cars, but that obviously didn’t happen.
Phelps did not say if that sort of thing is what’s planned for next year. The document also said NASCAR was targeting a Cup Series-level of performance, but that the races would be just 30 minutes long, with two held each weekend in conjunction with a NASCAR national series race.
2025 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE REVEALED WITH BIG CHANGES
Even if the car doesn’t debut at the 2024 Clash at the Coliseum in February, the event will have something new. NASCAR will hold a separate race for cars and drivers from the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will include one guest driver that may be Cup Series Daniel Suarez, who got his start in the Mexico Series before moving to the USA.
Read This Next
You must be logged in to post a comment.