The Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium fulfilled every expectation that fans had of it. It was a highly entertaining exhibition race that Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott dominated. He led 171 of the 200 laps and kicked off his 2025 Cup Series season on a great note. One other figure that impressed the crowd was a particular Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
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The high-performance car was used as the pace car for the race. With its white and blue theme, it looked scintillating on the 0.25-mile short track and earned the admiration of many. Fans on social media have since been expressing their opinions about it, with some even considering it to be better than the Next Gen car.
One fan wrote in a discussion on Reddit, “Pace car should not look more racey than the racecars. Its like the bridesmaid one-upping the bride.” Another asked with a tinge of sarcasm, “Your saying this is better than a hybrid Camry?” Chevrolet has not updated its car for the Cup Series in a long time. Toyota and Ford, however, have introduced newer models in recent years.
The reason for the delay could be the fact that the Camry is still able to compete strongly against its counterparts. Nevertheless, an update ought to come sooner rather than later. Another fan said, pointing to the Corvette, “My Ford loving wife would drive that! She was drooling!” That’s quite the compliment for a car.
The Corvette was so impressive on the track that it led people to believe that it could race better than the Next Gens. One fan brought out his numbers book to write, “It’s a sad state of affairs when the pace car has 120 more horsepower than the race cars behind it. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they could turn faster laps in that Corvette than the Cup cars.”
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What is the purpose of a car pace in NASCAR?
A pace car has two main roles. It leads the grid in the warm-up laps before a race starts and it heads the grid during a caution to keep competitors in line. It must ensure that cars don’t race each other when there is debris or other danger on the track. This is why it is also called a Safety Car.
Selecting the pace car is something that is usually left to the individual track in which a race occurs. These vehicles were used even before NASCAR became an official organization in 1948. One of the earliest recorded usages of a pace car was at Daytona Beach in 1941. The car in use was a Cadillac Coupe belonging to Hall of Famer Raymond Parks.
Although the speed of a pace car varies according to the track, an average can be settled at the 45 miles per hour mark. It is unsure if the Chevrolet Corvette will continually be used as a pace car in other races this season. But if it is, it will thrill fans without question.
