Yahoo Autos NASCAR's EV Concept Will Debut Next Week
Road & Track shared details in November of a new electric stock car concept that NASCAR was developing to explore electrified racing. Now, the series is planning to debut the car with a demo run at its Los Angeles Coliseum event next week, according to Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass.
As R&T reported in November, the concept has an unbranded crossover body. The project now has headlights, but otherwise appears to be in line with what was seen two months ago. Crucially, the car seems to be near its goal of matching current gas-powered cars on pace at a race track.
In theory, getting electric power to the ground in a stock car body should not be all that difficult. One NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing, already has an electrified stock car of its own for use as a pit crew practice car. The challenge is in making something that is both fast enough to look quick on track and capable of running an entire segment on track at those speeds without losing performance. After a reported 340 laps of testing at Martinsville, NASCAR has decided that this concept is ready to debut.
An electric racing series will not necessarily follow any time soon, but the demo in Los Angeles is the first public step in NASCAR's exploration of alternatives to traditional gasoline power. Executive Steve O'Donnell has also noted that the series is looking into hydrogen power, something long-time NASCAR partner Toyota is already exploring with a sports car concept of its own.
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