At the 2025 Daytona 500, NASCAR turned a new leaf by rolling out its all-electric ABB prototype pace car, a watershed moment in the sport’s push toward a greener tomorrow. Anchored by its NASCAR IMPACT initiative, the sanctioning body has set its sights on achieving net-zero operating emissions by 2035, with several sustainability measures already underway.
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Doubling down on that promise, NASCAR debuted the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype during last year’s Chicago Street Race weekend, and the series will return to that very circuit to showcase the latest strides in electric vehicle development. For roughly 20 minutes, three EV prototypes will share the spotlight, marking only the second major public demonstration of NASCAR’s electrification platform.
As reported by Bob Pockrass, veteran David Ragan will command the Ford prototype, Rajah Caruth will take the wheel of the Chevrolet version, and Brent Crews will handle NASCAR’s original EV build, which carries no Toyota affiliation. The run will take place ahead of Saturday’s Loop 110 (Xfinity) and Sunday’s Grant Park 165 (Cup) on the 2.14-mile, 12-turn street course winding through Grant Park.
Since images of NASCAR’s EV tests leaked in 2023, public reaction has ranged from curiosity to outright disdain. On the new update about EV cars shown at the Chicago Street race, one fan sarcastically asked, “Who’s going to have enough battery to make it to the end? So exciting!”
On morning of Chicago street race, electric NASCAR vehicles will do laps at the same time (for about 20 minutes). David Ragan in the Ford, Rajah Caruth in the Chevy and Brent Crews in the original NASCAR-built car (not Toyota-specific). NASCAR terming it “exhibition track laps”
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 18, 2025
Another blasted the direction altogether, posting, “Electric car sales have plummeted. Car makers are running from electric car production. NASCAR fans despise the very thought of electric racing. Yet here is NASCAR again trying to make us like them. NASCAR is the stupidest sporting organization on Earth.”
Still, not every voice in the crowd struck a sour note.“Gotta love the crying for no reason. The ev’s will race in their own series akin to Formula E, they will not be replacing any of the top 3 series,” one X user wrote.
Another cautiously supportive fan echoed, “They can do a companion/exhibition series if it keeps manufacturers interested as a promotional tool but I doubt NASCAR is going to turn any of it’s 3 big series into EV anytime soon. They get rid of the V8s in Cup, Xfinity, or Trucks, I’m out.”
NASCAR has remained firm: this prototype isn’t gunning to replace Cup machinery. Rather, it serves as a proving ground for emerging technology, an innovation sandbox built to push boundaries without rewriting the sport’s DNA.
NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell made that vision clear at the beginning of this season. “I’d like to see it on track more,” he said. “I’d like to see it maybe testing some of the boundaries of electrification and stock cars, chasing some speed records, so there’s a lot on the table that we can look at with ABB.”
Reflecting on the development in a prior interview, O’Donnell praised NASCAR’s R&D arm for spearheading the innovation. While the EV may not yet belong in the heart of the race weekend, he hinted at the capability and readiness to launch a full-fledged EV series, should the moment demand it.
