What We Know About The Chevy Camaro's Future In NASCAR

Chevrolet has been racing bowtie-badged vehicles on NASCAR tracks almost as long as the circuit has been around, fielding its first speedster in the stock car series in 1949. While a few more years would pass before a Chevy drove into winner's circle, once the company claimed that first win, it has continued to chalk up victories over the ensuing decades, and currently stands as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR cup series history.

In the course of its dominant NASCAR run, Chevy has understandably tabbed several different builds to lead its NASCAR ventures, with legendary drivers like Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon, and the late-great Dale Earnhardt chalking up wins behind the wheel. But in recent years, the bulk of Chevy's wins have come by drivers piloting a Camaro ZL1. The high-performance version of Chevy's celebrated Camaro build made its debut in 2018, and in the years since has been a force to be reckoned with on NASCAR tracks across the country.

Nonetheless, the ZL1's impressive NASCAR run will soon come to an end, as Chevrolet announced in 2023 it will discontinue the Camaro line after the 2024 model year. With Camaro disappearing from the Chevy lineup, the vehicle will eventually make a NASCAR exit as well, as the stock car series' governing body deems that manufacturer's are only allowed to field vehicles that are part of their consumer production line. It would seem, however, that the timeline for the ZL1's NASCAR exit is still very much up in the air. 

This is hardly the first time Chevrolet has changed things up — the 150, Monte Carlo, and Impala having all served as the brand's stock car series selection in years past. Chevy has yet to announce a successor to its current NASCAR build, and it has time. NASCAR rules reportedly state that manufacturers must compete with a vehicle that was in production at the time of its original submission, which the Camaro was when it entered the field in 2018.

According to one NASCAR official, that means Chevy could continue racing ZL1 Camaros into the 2025 season and beyond if it chooses to, assuming there are no re-designs made to the vehicle. Though the 650 hp supercharged 6.2-Liter LT4 V8-toting ZL1 continues to have success on the track, it seems unlikely Chevy will keep it in the NASCAR field too much longer — manufacturers generally want to race in-production vehicles that fans can walk into a showroom and purchase the day after a race. That "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" mentality would seem to indicate Camaro's time on the NASCAR circuit will end sooner rather than later. 

As for which vehicle will take its place in Chevy's racing stable, speculation abounds. Some believe the Malibu to be the obvious successor, and others wonder if it might be time for Chevrolet's iconic Corvette to make its NASCAR debut. For now, however, Chevy is keeping quiet.