The Chevrolet SS is dead and left behind in 2017. With the performance sedan’s impending demise last year, Chevrolet revealed its new NASCAR Cup race car: the 2018 Camaro ZL1. On Tuesday, the racer made its first track debut for test runs.
NASCAR reported on the inaugural test runs at Texas Motor Speedway where Chase Elliott piloted the Camaro ZL1 racer for the first time ever. It was also Elliott’s first appearance as the #9 Hendrick Motorsports entry, the same number his father Bill Elliot ran and won with in 1988. At first, Elliott said it was hard to peg any major differences from the Chevy SS racer from last year, but he believed the differences will show up in other tracks outside of Texas.
“I think the changes will probably become more apparent, hopefully, when we get to say Atlanta or get to some of the tracks that the changes are going to become important at,” he said.
He did praise the new Cup racer’s looks. Chevrolet worked hard to ensure the Camaro ZL1 racer mimicked the production car as it hopes to reignite the old “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” motif.
“I don’t know from a manufacturer standpoint, from the public eyes standpoint, I don’t know how you could not identify the Camaro with the Camaro on the street. It looks the same. I think that is something to be very proud of from Chevrolet,” Elliott said.
NASCAR fans will get their first true look at the Camaro ZL1 Cup race car next month when the car makes its 2018 season debut during Daytona Speedweek.
.@chaseelliott takes out the new ZL1 Camaro for its on track debut. It’s officially time to #Di9 pic.twitter.com/KXKCOQIS4J
— Texas Motor Speedway (@TXMotorSpeedway) January 9, 2018
@chaseelliott took the 2018 #Camaro ZL1 for it’s first time around @TXMotorSpeedway! On how it compares to the production Camaro, he said: “I think that’s something to be very proud of from Chevrolet…it’s the same car, it looks just like it!” pic.twitter.com/PAeQpcq8FB
— Team Chevy (@TeamChevy) January 9, 2018
Comments
Correction: It was Elliott’s first time in the #9 car for Hendrick Motorsports. He’s been at Hendrick for two year with the #24, but he’s going back to the number that he and his dad made famous. I do applaud you for not calling the racecar a “NASCAR” though, because that’s apparently what the rest of the internet thinks they are called. Can’t wait to see Chase win at Daytona.
Quinten,
I stand corrected and the story has been updated. Thanks for reading!
-Sean
Hope the Camaro is more competitive than the SS was.
20 wins for chevy this year!