Long gone are the days when the kings of the oval actually looked like real cars. With the speeds and performance achievable in NASCAR today, and safety required to keep the drivers where they need to be, the transformation from the past to the present makes sense. Last week, Chevrolet unveiled their newly designed Camaro ZL1 NASCAR Cup racecar with the help of several renowned drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson who piloted the car into the event. The car’s debut event will be Daytona Speedweek, the kick-off of the 2018 Monster Energy Cup season.
The ZL1 is synonymous with performance and motorsport as one of the keystones in drag racing and a legend of the street in the 1960s. “The new Camaro ZL1 is a great-looking car with a lot of heritage behind it, which will make it a big hit with fans” says NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. “And as someone who’s enjoyed the ZL1 on the street, I’m really looking forward to getting this new race car on the track.”
Seeing the Cup car parked next to the production car, it’s striking how similar they are. The Cup car has the shape of the production vehicle, with a recessed grill, lights and hood lines. The front splitter even matches very closely. The rest of the body is still very much NASCAR, however. The power plant of the cup car also bears a slight resemblance to its 90-degree, supercharged, 650 hp, street-going little brother.
After decades of “stock cars” that hardly look like anything made for production, it’s safe to say that Chevy has done a great job with the design of the ZL1 cup car. Imagine seeing more of the NASCAR field looking this way? Let’s hope.
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