Chevrolet tossed its cap into the NASCAR EV crossover stock car ring on Thursday with the unveiling of the Blazer EV.R prototype ahead of this weekend’s Daytona 500. Like the Ford Mustang Mach-E stock car unveiled in January, this Blazer EV.R borrows heavily from the NASCAR EV prototype developed in collaboration with ABB and demonstrated last year. While there are now two manufacturer-built prototypes, NASCAR still hasn’t scheduled a race for the electric stock cars.
The Blazer EV.R’s body differs from the two previous electric stock cars despite sharing the crossover shape, glasshouse, and rear wing. The front fascia looks like it was ripped right off a Blazer EV SS, with inlets on both ends tucked beneath the headlight decals. While aggressive and stylish, it’s far less aerodynamic than the Mustang Mach-E’s clean, rounded fascia. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Blazer were disadvantaged in a competitive setting. Phil Zak, the executive director of Chevrolet Global Design, said in a statement:
This program was a great opportunity with NASCAR to design a new crossover utility vehicle body and bring forward design elements from our Blazer EV SS. The EV.R prototype offers lower and wider proportions and was designed with aerodynamics and performance in mind.
The Blazer EV.R exactly matches the other NASCAR electric stock cars on the spec sheet. It has a tri-motor all-wheel-drive layout with a 78-kWh liquid-cooled battery. The crossover’s powerplant can produce over 1,300 horsepower, over double the output of the Blazer EV SS. Justin Allgaier, Chevy’s test driver and 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion, said:
“There are so many things you don’t think about until you’re in the car actually testing it. I’m used to knowing my speed through gearing and listening to engine revs, so I had to totally change how I judge corner entry speed. With this platform we’re learning how to strategically adjust regenerative braking, which has a big impact on braking sections and cornering balance.”
The Blazer EV SS is set to be the pace car during Sunday’s Daytona 500. Considering the lengthy delays with the EV SS, it’s incredible to think that the stock car prototype was likely conceived, developed and revealed before a customer touched a keyfob for the road-going model. Toyota is now the sole NASCAR Cup Series OEM without an electric stock car prototype.