NASCAR has developed and tested an electric racing vehicle but currently has no plans to race it.
The car, according to a report in KickinTheTires.net, was tested at the Charlotte Motor Speedway drag strip with largely positive results but the sanctioning body is still exploring ways to implement new technologies as it pertains to a full-fledged touring division.
NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell said on Friday during a state of the sport press conference at Phoenix Raceway that the league is still working with current and prospective manufacturers about what opportunities could manifest with an alternative fuel division.
“Yeah, a lot of work’s gone on at the R&D department around EV,” O’Donnell said. “We have a car. We have an alternative body style with that car. I would not look for us specifically to go racing with it. I think you could see it showcased at certain events next year. But there’s other forms that we want to look at.”
KickinTheTires also reported that the car will be tested at Martinsville Speedway at some point over the winter but first for O’Donnell is a trip to Japan to explore a hydrogen racing platform alongside its previously discussed electrification projects.
An electric series was teased for 2023 but has yet to come to fruition.
“We want to kind of test each and every form,” O’Donnell said. “I’m really excited about what our teams put together around an electric car. Again, wanted to showcase that to the fans and explore other technologies, as well.”
When the NextGen car debuted in 2022, a hybrid powerplant was intended to follow a year later but that never materialized due to a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the speed in which alternative fuels began to evolve in the automotive industry.
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NASCAR currently fields cars with engines and bodies developed by Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota. It hopes to add to that trio but the first conversation that is had with any potential new car builder is what kind of power plant will be under the hood.
That’s part of this larger electrification and alternative fuel discourse too.
“There is certainly interest,” O’Donnell said of new manufacturers entering NASCAR and the Cup Series. “I think one of the reasons we went over (to race the 24 Hours of Le Mans) with Garage56 was to continue to spur that interest.
“The challenge remains for us what engine package are we going to be running, specifically around Cup. The good news is all of our existing OEMs are very open to dialogue now about where the new technologies are going.
“As everybody here reads about the auto industry. It’s in flux, right? There’s a lot of technologies being looked at. Things change almost monthly in terms of what is going to be in the hands of consumers. We need to get that right. I think the dialogue that we’re having now with our OEMs is allowing us to have those conversations with potential new partners.”
O’Donnell said adding a new manufacturer or two remains a goal for both marketing and competition reasons. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, while also at the core of the NASCAR competition product, is also a key marketing partner for the sport.
Additional manufacturers in NASCAR means commensurate marketing opportunities. To get there, O’Donnell says the industry needs to figure out what the next generation racing platforms is literally fueled by.
“A lot of opportunities for us as a sport, be it alternative fuels, electric, hydrogen,” he said. “Everything’s on the table, which is unique for I think us as a sanctioning body in terms of having that Garage 56 program, having our Next Gen car designed specifically for all kinds of different power units.
“We’re excited about the opportunities and can vary those depending on where we’re at, country or continent.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.