UPDATE: The car, which was leaked publicly last month, now has lights and apparently has the potential to reach speeds in line with the current NASCAR Cup Series platform at Martinsville.
Specifically, the car was subjected to 340 laps over three days at the half-mile short track in southern Virginia. David Ragan drove it. NASCAR says the optimal performance range of the battery isn’t 100 percent but has a sweet spot of 30 to 80 percent and that it was generally operated at 50 percent.
By the end of the test, NASCAR says the prototype was within ‘a few tenths’ of the current Cup Series car, which shares the same base chassis and platform beneath its shell.
NASCAR officials have been adamant since this car was made public over the fall that it wasn’t a harbinger of a soon-to-come division but is entirely a concept car. It’s purely a way for NASCAR to make an effort to stay on top of emerging technologies in a rapidly changing landscape in Detroit and abroad.
Of all the new technologies that NASCAR is exploring, the sanctioning body is actually most invested in hydrogen or other alternative fuels, as it actually wants cars to continue to sound like something reflective of its heritage.
Read much more at Sportsnaut.
ORIGINAL POST 1-23-2024: After two years of research, development, testing and fine-tuning, sources confirm NASCAR will debut its EV racecar at the Busch Light Clash in Los Angeles but fans thinking this will be the end of the Cup Series or a transition into “silent runnings” at the racetrack need not panic.
Unlike the electric hum of EV racecars, the hue and cry of fans concerned about EVs pushing internal combustion engine (ICE) racecars out of stockcar racing have not fallen on deaf ears. Sources confirmed to Kickin’ the Tires, which first broke the news of the EV racing program on July 21, 2022, that NASCAR’s primary motivation for creating it is for research and development – stressing, “there is no plan to take the noise out of NASCAR or bring in EV racing as a replacement racing series.”
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NASCAR’s electric racecar resembles a small crossover-style passenger vehicle, similar to a rally car like the ones used in Travis Pastrana’s Nitrocross racing events. It was tested in secrecy at zMAX Dragway with mixed results before O’Donnell confirmed it would be tested in December at Martinsville Speedway.
See much more at Kickin the Tires.
AND: A newly-designed electric compact utility vehicle, with lights, will be on the track for a demonstration during festivities at next weekend’s Busch Light Clash in Los Angeles. NASCAR tested it in Martinsville last December, having it run 340 laps over three days. There are no current plans for an electric series, but NASCAR said it is developing technology to potentially investigate hydrogen combustion and other types of electric vehicles in the future. The car will be driven by 38-year-old part-time driver David Ragan in the demonstration.
AND:
NASCAR has tested its battery electric vehicle for three days at Martinsville. Did 340 laps over three days (David Ragan drove it). Compact utility vehicle body not specific to a manufacturer. Lap times on third day within a couple tenths of second from a Cup car. https://t.co/HHyjuGZPcN
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 23, 2024