Chevrolet NASCAR concept could point to Supercars

The unveiling of a Chevrolet concept car for NASCAR is the first hint of a potential new direction for Supercars in Australia.

It's not a coupe, but a mid-sized SUV crossover based on the Chevrolet Blazer.

It's also an electric vehicle, to present a nicely 'green' picture while taking the NASCAR track in a whole new direction.

"The Blazer EV.R is an example of Chevrolet continuing to test, learn, and explore new technologies that could be applied to both race programs and production cars," the company said in a press release.

There is no suggestion yet that the NASCAR Blazer has any real relevance to Supercars in Australia, but that could easily change once production of the road-going Chevrolet Camaro ends this year.

"We have no further information beyond the press announcement from the USA," a spokesperson for GM Special Vehicles told Race.news

Visually, the Blazer racer looks more like a TCR car than a traditional NASCAR, but it's impossible to tell without a comparative vehicle to show its size.

The mechanical package is predictably EV awesome, with more than 950 horsepower from three six-phase electric motors, powered by a 78 kiloWatt-hour liquid-cooled battery. It also has all-wheel drive.

But Chevrolet is not backing away from internal combustion.

“While we will continue to race our proven and winning V8 technology in NASCAR for years to come, we continually look for ways to improve the combination of power, durability, and efficiency to transfer learnings from the racetrack to the showroom, especially as we bolster Chevy’s consumer EV lineup,” said Eric Warren, executive director of global motorsports competition for General Motors.

“Motorsports is a test bed for innovation, and a training ground for our engineers — one that allows Chevrolet to try out new technologies in a fast-paced environment against the best competition."

Despite the radical SUV bodywork, the Blazer is built on the old-school Next Gen NASCAR chassis, as Chevrolet worked closely with NASCAR and other manufacturers on the parameters and technical elements of the prototype.

“This program was a great opportunity with NASCAR to design a new crossover utility vehicle body and bring forward design elements from our Blazer EV SS,” said Phil Zak, executive director, Chevrolet Global Design.

The concept was unveiled during the build-up to the iconic Daytona 500, but it is more than just a pretty body.

It has already cut laps at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina with Chevy's reigning NASCAR Xfinity champion, Justin Allgaier, driving.

Driving the prototype during testing was Justin Allgaier, Team Chevy driver, 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion.

“There are so many things you don’t think about until you’re in the car actually testing it,” said Allgaier.

“I’m used to knowing my speed through gearing and listening to engine revs, so I had to totally change how I judge corner entry speed.

"With this platform we’re learning how to strategically adjust regenerative braking, which has a big impact on braking sections and cornering balance."

The Blazer concept has had a predictably warm welcome from NASCAR.

“NASCAR and its manufacturer partners are passionate about emerging technologies, and working to remain on the forefront of innovation,” said Brandon Thomas, NASCAR's vice-president of vehicle design.

“Chevrolet and its engineers meshed new technologies with the NASCAR Next Gen platform – and the result is a powerful, exciting vehicle that we believe fans will love when they see it at Daytona International Speedway.”