Chevrolet Keeps the Camaro ZL1 Alive for NASCAR

It’s been nearly two years since Chevrolet ended Camaro production. There’s no successor on the horizon just yet, but the Camaro isn’t completely dead—it will live on next year in NASCAR.  

Chevrolet has updated its race car for the upcoming season, adopting the styling of the recently launched Carbon Performance Package for sixth-generation Camaro ZL1 coupe owners. The NASCAR Camaro features a larger hood power dome, a revised grille, and more pronounced rocker panels.  

The new kit available for current Camaro owners includes the ZL1 1LE grille, a new splitter with carbon-fiber end caps, a carbon-fiber hood insert, carbon-fiber rocker extensions, and a large carbon-fiber rear wing. Chevy also offers the package with optional Tech Bronze wheels, and the kit is functional.  

According to Chevy, the new kit brings the ZL1 close to achieving the same aerodynamic downforce as the 1LE, within 5 percent. The upgraded aero increases the downforce by 361 percent at 155 miles per hour.  

Photo by: Chevrolet

The updated NASCAR Camaro ZL1 race car will make its racing debut in February at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina.  

There’s still no word about a seventh-generation Camaro. Earlier this year, General Motors President Mark Reuss detailed the conditions needed for the car to make a return. He said the next Camaro would have to combine fun, beauty, and functionality.  

There’s certainly room for an affordable sports car in Chevy’s lineup—the Corvette starts at $70,000—but there might not be enough demand. Sports car sales are down overall, with only a few models bucking the trend. They don’t sell like they used to, so a new Camaro is unlikely, but maybe we’ll get a performance sedan instead. 

In February, a report surfaced alleging that the plan for the car was “blown apart” by higher-ups due to its weak business case. It seems like, for now, the Camaro will be just a race car for the company.  

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