What Will Replace The Chevrolet Camaro In NASCAR?
Two down, one to go.
Toyota and Ford have revealed the new NASCAR Cup Series cars that they will be racing in 2024.
The Toyota Camry XSE and Ford Mustang Dark Horse are both based on fresh production car designs being launched for the 2024 model year.
That leaves the manufacturer’s title-winning Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 the only carryover car in the Cup Series for next season.
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But what about the one after that?
Production of the current Camaro generation is set to be discontinued by January at the latest, which means there is technically a 2024 model year car that can be represented in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series, but it won’t be immediately replaced.
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A NASCAR spokesman told American Cars And Racing that Chevrolet is free to continue racing the Camaro bodies into 2025 and beyond until it decides to redesign the race cars — at which point the styling must be based on an existing production car — but that’s not ideal from a marketing perspective.
Chevrolet has only said that it “is not the end of Camaro’s story,” but has given no indication that a direct successor is imminent.
When I asked GM CFO Paul Jacobson what the plans for NASCAR were, following the announcement of the Camaro’s discontinuation this past spring, he said he couldn’t comment.
Well, if GM can’t comment, there’s nothing stopping us from speculating, so let’s give it a shot:
CHEVROLET CORVETTE
The Corvette would be an easy call, but also an odd one. Toyota uses the Supra as the basis for its Xfinity Series car, but the Corvette is a mid-engine model, while Cup Series cars are front-engine designs. Then again, they also have two-doors and V8 engines, two things the production Toyota Camry definitely doesn’t have.
CHEVROLET MALIBU
The Chevrolet Malibu goes up against the Camry in showrooms, so this makes perfect sense. Then again, Chevy’s last sedan has been on sale for a long time and would be celebrating its 10th birthday in 2025. However, while nothing has been confirmed, Chevy is about to launch a new Equinox compact SUV for the 2025 model year that won’t be electric, despite the brand’s shift toward EVs, and rumor has it that a next-generation Malibu with an internal combustion engine is in the works.
CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS
Here’s an idea. Since the Malibu is on the dull side, how about offering a high performance version with the Monte Carlo SS name? Sure, that’s traditionally been used on two-door coupes, and there’s little chance Chevy will offer a two-door Malibu, but the four-door Dodge Charger just finished up a strong two-decade run that included the 2012 Cup Series championship in racing coupe form, so why not?
CHEVROLET EQUINOX
Hey, they race pickups in NASCAR, right? While it’s highly unlikely there will be an SUV-based vehicle in the Cup Series, leaked images of a prototype electric race car that NASCAR is expected to unveil soon for a separate series shows that it is based on an SUV and looks a lot like the all-electric Blazer EV SUV that’s starting to arrive in showrooms now.
CHEVROLET CAMARO
Or maybe Chevelle? Monte Carlo? The two-door Ford Mustang is set to continue through the end of the decade powered by V8 engines and Dodge about to launch a new model based on the Charger Daytona SRT Concept that may come in electric an ICE versions. It’s hard to imagine that Chevrolet won’t have something to go up against them that slots into the lineup under the Corvette. GM recently invested in a new generation of V8 engines, ostensibly for its trucks, and the Corvette still uses them, so its very possible a new muscle car could be on the way. But what if the Camaro is only replaced by an EV? Would you mind if Chevy put that body on a gas-guzzling race car?
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This story has been updated with additional harebrained thoughts