This Is Chevrolet’s Take On A NASCAR EV
Whether we’ll ever actually see top-flight NASCAR racing go fully electric is up for debate, but the series and its manufacturers are certainly getting more serious about electrifying the sport in some way. After last year’s unbranded NASCAR prototype, and last month’s Ford Mustang Mach-E demonstrator, General Motors has now unveiled its own take on the formula: the Chevrolet Blazer EV.R.
Much like the NASCAR and Ford prototypes (which, given the spec similarities, we have to assume are all basically the same underneath), it takes its inspiration not from the saloons and coupes that have been NASCAR’s bread and butter for decades, but from the type of car the majority of people actually buy these days: a crossover.
In Chevy’s case, it’s the Blazer, a name from the manufacturer’s past that was brought back in 2023 for a mid-sized electric crossover.
Like the other prototypes, it uses a 78kWh battery and a trio of electric motors, sending over 1300bhp through a programmable all-wheel drive system. It utilises the same chassis, suspension and Goodyear slick racing tyres as NASCAR’s current ‘Next Gen’ cup cars.
Like the other two, this isn’t just a static concept – Chevrolet says it’s already lapped it at full race pace around Carolina Motorsports Park with 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier at the wheel.
“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,” said Allgaier.
It now feels all but inevitable that before too long, we’ll see a similar prototype from NASCAR’s third manufacturer, Toyota. Given that one was on display alongside a Mustang Mach-E and Blazer at the original NASCAR concept’s reveal, we’d expect it to be based on the bZ4X EV. How long it is before we see cars like this tearing quietly around the US’s ovals, though, is another matter.
The first full sentence spoken by an infant Mike was a review of the ride quality of a Volvo 850. It was “Daddy’s car goes bumpy-bump on a bumpy road,” so would probably need proofreading a bit, but it was a start.
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