The latest push for electrification in motorsports comes in the form of one of NASCAR’s three manufacturers showcasing its future EV stock car racing prototype. Named the Blazer EV.R, Chevrolet is the second manufacturer to showcase a prototype model of the racecar based on NASCAR Next Gen car chassis and NASCAR’s own EV prototype.
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Ford was the first manufacturer to do so with their reveal of the Mach E prototype last month. However, reactions to these reveals from the NASCAR community have not been as favorable as the manufacturers would have hoped, with purists finding the electrification of the sport blasphemous.
“The day @NASCAR runs this car will be the day the sport dies. The Next Gen car is bad enough,” opined one fan while pointing fingers at NASCAR’s current Cup Series car. “Have watched NASCAR since 75’ to this day. If they go the EV route, I’m out and won’t be back,” wrote another loyalist.
“Might be the ugliest thing I’ve ever looked at,” wrote yet another follower, publically voicing their dislike for the car’s looks. “What a stupid idea! NASCAR will lose most of its audience, including me,” summed up another fan.
Is it remote control?
— Couch Racer (@CouchRacerShop) February 13, 2025
This focus on EV performance in the sport is triggered by the governing body showcasing its own EV prototype during the 2024 Chicago City Street Race, possibly hinting at another spinoff series that could cater to the rapidly growing EV industry.
With both Ford and Chevrolet’s prototypes based on production cars and Toyota likely to follow suit, the movement buys into the ‘Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday’ ethos of the car industry. NASCAR has also toyed with the idea of hydrogen-powered racecars in the past, with NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell expressing ambitious goals for the stock car racing league and its future.
With a focus on being a testbed for innovation that can trickle down into production cars, similar to what few Formula 1 teams have achieved, the movement symbolizes a push for advancement in the automotive sector, driven by racing.
It remains to be seen when and if these prototype racecars take to the track and how the fans react to the final product. Can this be a replacement for the fire-breathing V8 engines and their iconic roar NASCAR is known for? Odds do not seem to favor the notion.
