- Chevy Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype debuts at Daytona 500
- 2025 Blazer EV SS serves as first electrical tempo automotive for signature NASCAR occasion
- NASCAR stays tied to gas-guzzling V-8s
No main racing sequence revels in inefficient inside combustion fairly as a lot as NASCAR, however this 12 months its greatest race will kick off with the silence of an all-electric powertrain—and the debut of one other glimpse of its absolutely electrical future.
The 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS will not be racing, however it should function the official tempo automotive, main the sector of gas-guzzling V-8 race vehicles to inexperienced flag at this Sunday’s Daytona 500, the kickoff race for the 2025 NASCAR season and essentially the most prestigious occasion on the calendar.
Tempo vehicles are used to maintain the sector in formation forward of the beginning of the race, in addition to throughout warning durations when vehicles flow into at slower speeds as a consequence of on-track hazards. A 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car beforehand dealt with these duties at a 2015 NASCAR race, however this would be the first time a battery-electric car has served as tempo automotive at Daytona.
2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS
Resulting from attain dealerships later this quarter with a $61,995 base value, the Blazer EV SS is the sportiest model of the Blazer EV, boasting 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque from an uprated model of the dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain. Chevy says it should do 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds, whereas Brembo entrance brakes and stiffer suspension tuning intention to ship a livelier expertise in corners.
Forward of this weekend’s race, Chevy on Thursday revealed an electrical NASCAR prototype, dubbed Blazer EV.R, that can make its formal debut on the occasion. The three-motor mannequin has produces greater than 1,300 hp mixed and has a 78-kwh battery pack. The EV.R was constructed with chassis parts lifted from NASCAR’s Subsequent Gen chassis, and Chevy says that it is already accomplished constant laps with the EV.R at race velocity—though after all it will be there for present solely.
Chevrolet Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype
Chevrolet Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype
Chevrolet Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype
This follows Ford’s unveiling of a NASCAR prototype branded as a Mustang Mach-E earlier this month. Ford’s prototype appeared to take cues extra immediately from the generic electrical SUV NASCAR first confirmed in 2024. Organizers nonetheless have not dedicated to an electrical racing sequence, however first Ford and now Chevy exhibiting EV prototypes signifies the thought hasn’t gone away.
That leaves Toyota as the one automaker at present taking part in NASCAR’s top-level Cup Sequence to not present an electrical SUV prototype. May a NASCAR bZ4X even be ready within the wings?