Electric earthquake in American motorsport

NASCAR, the most popular motorsport in the United States, unveiled its first 100% electric prototype in Chicago.

An electric NASCAR car is a total sporting aberration. A bit like a Vendée Globe in diesel-powered boats or a 100 meters on hands. This motorsport, which celebrates its 75th anniversary, was born during American Prohibition. Bootleggers loaded alcohol into the trunks of their powerful sedans to deliver it as fast as possible while evading the authorities if necessary. These rogues became true driving experts through chase scenes, and inevitably, the time came to determine who was the best. They gathered on Daytona beach to race, and NASCAR was born.

The concept: Cars with a design similar to that of a mass-produced model and a powerful, fuel-thirsty V8. And off they go for more than 3 hours of racing 36 times a year, primarily on ovals. If you’ve never seen it, the film “Days of Thunder” with Tom Cruise is the best possible documentary on this discipline. And while it’s not a masterpiece, it’s really a fun film to watch during the holidays.

A request from manufacturers

Three manufacturers are currently competing. Chevrolet with the Camaro, Ford with the Mustang, and Toyota with the Camry. All three were directly involved in the development of this prototype, which was created by the engineers responsible for entering a NASCAR car in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, the NASCAR Garage 56./

The first 100% electric NASCAR prototype will take to the track this weekend in Chicago for the only urban race on the calendar. This is not by chance, as this car is intended to race initially only on small “Short Tracks” or road circuits where it can recover energy during braking. It is essential to consider the autonomy and specific charging constraints of an electric car. It is equipped with three motors, one at the front and two at the rear, directly providing power to the four specific Goodyear Racing Eagle tires. Powered by a liquid-cooled 78 kWh battery, the powertrain can produce 1,000 kW, resulting in a staggering power of over 1,300 horsepower! The regenerative braking converts kinetic energy into power.

Unlike its thermal sedan counterpart, the electric model adopts an SUV body. So, very soon, we will see a battle between the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Toyota bZ4X, or Chevrolet Blazer. The question remains how the conservative public will receive these quiet racing cars… NASCAR indeed has 75 more years to answer this question.

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