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"Relevance" will determine look of new Chevrolet entry in NASCAR

Chevrolet’s new NASCAR entry will be designed on the premise to “create relevance” for the manufacturer.

Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Russell LaBounty / NKP / Motorsport Images

Jim Campell, Chevrolet; Richard Childress; Owner Richard Childress Racing, Chip Ganassi, Owner Chip Ganassi Racing; Rick Hendrick, Owner Hendrick Motorsports
Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Chevrolet SS detail
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

In January, General Motors confirmed it was ceasing production of its Chevrolet SS production car, which has been the model its entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series have used since 2013. Previous Chevy models used in the series have been the Monte Carlo and the Impala.

That means, Chevy teams in the Cup series will be getting a newly designed race car for the 2018 season.

Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports for Chevrolet, said the manufacturer is working on its next entry but was not ready to divulge what models were under consideration.

“In general, we want to create relevance in anything we do in motorsports, NASCAR included. If you look the five series that Chevrolet is involved in – stock cars, open-wheel, drag racing, two sports car series – it’s about driving relevance from the showroom to the track, really making that connection,” Campbell said.

“That’s what is meaningful for us as a manufacturer. It’s not only the vehicle itself, it’s some of the technologies. As I mentioned earlier, some of the tools in which we prepare a production car can be honed over on the racing side and vice versa.

“I think the key word there is just continuing to create relevance between the track and the showroom. We do it in every series. We'll continue to do that going forward with NASCAR.”

Speculation on the new car model has centered on the Impala and the Chevy Malibu, which was also used previously in NASCAR from 1973 to 1983.

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