The NASCAR Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has been officially unveiled, debuting alongside its Ford Mustang and Toyota Camry counterparts during a special event held in North Carolina today.
The next-generation Camaro ZL1 race car, which will make its competition debut next year, incorporated a new lower greenhouse, shortened deck lid and widened track width that better lends itself to a coupe design like the Camaro’s. The NASCAR Next Gen rulebook is a collaborative effort between the sanctioning body and the three participating OEMs and will more closely connect the race cars with what is sold in the showroom. As the old adage goes, “race on Sunday – sell on Monday.”
“Chevrolet engineers and designers worked alongside our race teams to develop this race car while staying true to the styling essence of the Camaro ZL1,” GM’s U.S. vice president for Performance and Motorsports, Jim Campbell, said in a statement. “This cooperation will benefit Chevrolet both on the track and the street.”
The differences between the Generation 6 car that currently races in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Next Gen car are significant. In addition to the bodywork, the Next Gen car also integrates an independent rear suspension setup (as the sixth-generation Camaro does), a new sequential transaxle developed by X-Trac and 18-inch alloy wheels to replace the outgoing (and archaic) 15-inch steelies. The larger wheels have allowed manufacturers to use larger AP Racing brakes, which will improve stopping performance and result in much lower road course lap times. The bottom of the car, meanwhile, is completely sealed and incorporates an underwing and larger rear diffuser for added downforce.
Additionally, the front and rear clips of the vehicle bolt onto the center section of the front and rear ends. This will allow teams to quickly remove and replace the front and rear bumpers during a race and will also make servicing the car mid-race a bit easier.
As an added bonus, the NASCAR Next Gen Chevy Camaro ZL1 incorporates similar hood air extractors to the road car for a little bit more track-to-street overlap.
“The Next Gen Camaro has a much stronger link to the production Camaro ZL1 in terms of styling integration, improved proportions and relevant technologies,” said Eric Warren, Chevy’s director of NASCAR Programs. “From an engineering standpoint, this is a seismic shift. It’s a completely new car that brings with it a lot of opportunity from a technical standpoint.”
The NASCAR Next Gen Chevy Camaro ZL1 will race alongside the similar Next Gen versions of the Toyota Camry and Ford Mustang GT500, which also debuted today. The new race cars will make their points-paying competition debut at next season’s Daytona 500 on February 20th, 2022.
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Comments
I am ready for 2022 ,It is a great looking Chevy Camaro ZL1! It looks fast just sitting there next to the street Camaro !
nice!
Nice BUT, still Missing that Front End identifier, there needs to be a big Bowtie emblem or something on the front of the hood.
look at the mustang or camry nascar racers front ends. the Camaro is still missing something up front
Are we looking at the same article? There’s a bowtie on the front. Literally the first picture shows that..
Bowtie is there, except Chevy went with blacked out bowtie as in there street version vehicles.
That bowtie was a functioning air ram system.
Flowtie, beaches!
Have mercy!!! This ZL1 is absolutely amazing. I love the design and upgrades from 18 in. wheels to wider diffuser.. I can’t wait to see it live on the track!
It’s not a tumor it’s a FLOWTIE mister sir 😮!
Go back to racing real production cars!!!,,, ohhh, wait…. Chevy would win everything and Toyota’s entry is a Camry. Well if they would make a good sports car that would fix it.
Lmao yes, it’s so ironic that Chevrolet is a step behind Ford and Toyota when the Camaro ZL1 is so much better than a Camry or Mustang.
Oh Hell Yeah, bring back real stockcar racing.
A move in the right direction no doubt. But how about this-use actual production cars like they did years ago. Gut the cars, add safety equipment, and have limitations on chassis and drivetrain mods. Basically turn a street car into a race car. That would be a real “stock car.”
When is Toyota going to get off the pot and stop trying to present the Camry as a race car?
If they were really to get off the pot, they’d get the foreign manufacturer to leave NASCAR.
Nice car but NASCAR racing has become painful and boring to watch. Evidenced by empty seats before Covid and probably will be worse in the future. Thinking NASCAR racing sells very few cars for Toyota, GM or Ford. Who will pull out next time industry sales slump?
Sorry, no longer a fan.
Too little too late, Nascar cookie cutter tv show is dead to millions of fans.
Is the NASCAR ban on Chrysler (or whoever they are now) still in effect?
Seems those Mopars would be good competition.
Wow! That is beautiful. Can’t wait to see it race.