LET ME TRY THIS AND SEE IF IT FLYS

The Chevrolet Camaro will compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series beginning in 2013

NASCARs Nationwide Series will have a new pony car on the track in 2013.

Info came from Lee Spencer

The Chevrolet Camaro will compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series beginning in 2013.

Chevrolet unveiled the Camaro SS at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday.

The project a collaborative effort between Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing was kept closely under wraps and approved just three weeks ago.

Chevrolet is proud to bring the Camaro (to) the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013, said Jim Campbell, vice president, Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. The Camaro Nationwide race car incorporates many of the distinctive styling elements of the production Camaro, including the unique power-bulge hood and deep recessed grille. In addition, the design incorporates the distinctive halo light rings and dual-port grille appearances, and the gold bowtie.

Chevrolet is a little late to the NASCAR Pony Car party. Ford and Dodge introduced the Mustang and Challenger, respectively at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2009.

But Camaro was just re-introduced into the new car market three years ago. In 2010 and 2011, Camaro led its segment in sales and once again tops the chart in 2012.

We know that our NASCAR fans like cars, so this is an exciting moment for us, said NASCAR president Mike Helton. To have a Camaro now in the Nationwide against the other pony cars is kind of fun for an old guy to watch the racing as it will be in 2013.

Mustangs, Camaros.... now if we can resurrect some defunct brands, we could have a Cougar, Firebird, Barracuda and all the old pony cars. Might rename the Nationwide Series the NASCAR GT or Grand American, lol!

Only in our dreams --but wouldnt it be great to re-crank that series up again.... I really enjoyed that series because there were unknowns in it--------------------along with big names and guys .. some actually had a bit of trouble entering and exiting these mighty but smaller machines

Guess they used shoehorns, bear grease and an assortment of yoga movements, huh?!

You caught my drift I see--yes he was a shoehorn driver -- Tiny was in brunswick Ga one nite at a race and you should have seen him squeeze in and out of the chevelle he broubht you know the one #55 bkue n white

was that cheese you asked for there????

The little Pony Cars will come in handy when NASCAR moves the Nationwide Series back to the short tracks where it belongs.

Very true there is a big audience out there thats into small cars--could this be the beginning of running frontwheel drive along with rear wheel drive??? t was touched on back in the 80s with olds and Pontiac on road courses-- maybe this will fire up big time you never know with those Rice Rocket cars

Dave you could be the father of a new series here and dont know it yet

How much should I charge NASCAR for this idea? They've stolen several others in the past.

Keep it under the R/R banner --just lease the idea to them ,that way they cant change the drama around to fill their cup. that way control is not lost unless you lose gripe or have blowout

I shall go to work immediately repurposing my proposition.

You go Sir-- I got your back ,so to say --unless Reverend Stagger comes in with his rule book then we will be playing in the onion patch again.

Tread lightly sir we got the Paparazzi looking now. next someone will put in a debate as to what you really building and then the Idea committee will want to see your credentials .......

You know it could be called --Fulton Ubatuba series Has a definite Ring to it .. R/R advertising dept will go bananas over it

Yep, we got company, all right, as you have observed. Always spying on us.

Probably make an unannounced shop visit with new templates.

Hey, a bronc is kinda like a pony, ain't it?

Maybe we could call it the Big Bad Bronc Series (for pony cars).

The BBB Series. Probably get that fella in Franklin to give us some plugs. Whatcha think? Boogity, boogity, boogity!

Your Ubatuba idea has possibilities for NASCAR. I've heard several places that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing down in Daytona.

Maybe those guys over at the Goat Palace could come up with a catchy handle or maybe that guy thats on wednesday can learn how to turn in the middle of a lap and come up with something or maybe the guy who lives in his cave or whatever a lair is will have vision just before court so he can get a continuance

I see they have opened a branch office.

Like the Mustang and the Challenger, NASCAR'staken some liberties with the Camaro from the windshield aft. Until this announcement, GM/Chevy was adamantly opposed to the body lines being NASCAR-ized. Back room meetings, no doubt, but it's tough trying to fund a Quattlebaum series these days. Sponsors and teams, and FANS aren't exactly standing in line. GM must have been convinced, even with a body massage, it will aid sales. The old win on Sunday, sell on Mondayphilosophy (still) lives.

The rear section doesnt have the Camero window design and thats where the template comes into effect. I doubt very seriously if the final templates are made much less the massaging of the body to comply with Daddy Robin --Time will tell!!!

Not mentioned in the report above, but highlighted in The Charlotte Observer coverage is this interesting statement:

Nationwide teams must use the Camaro in the series' three restrictor-plate races next season, but may run the Impala in other races while they transition to the new car, series director Joe Balash said.

Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2012/07/26/91858/chevy-camaro-is-joining-nationwide.html#storylink=cpy

Does anybody know the year that NASCAR began allowing teams to fabricate their body panels? I'd guess sometime in the 1990's........anyway, that pretty much blew the lid off Pandora's box (again) and eventually culminated in Ford demanding the NASCAR-i-zation of their not-too-racy 4-door Taurus. Rather than build a car that fit the desired parameters, the established protocol, NASCAR gave FoMoCo a 'buy' and allowed extreme modifications to an aerodynamic slug. Naturally, everybody else demanded equal treatment, and it became an aerodynamic nut house, and one that had not seen since the late '60's. The only way to get the horse back in the barn was for NASCAR to design the bodies and make everybody's exactly equal..........voila' thecar of tomorrow. That's why the NASCAR Camaro can't look like a real one.

One other thought.

We have all had our favorite Camaros at the race track. Hard to beat the one that Robert Gee brought to Wilson County Speedway wheeled by Dale Earnhardt and put a whipping on our regulars in the big money Southern Late Model 200.

However, if I could never see him again in a coupe, here's the Camaro I'd most want to see just one more time before I pass. It would be the Jack Tant / Clayton Mitchell NASCAR Late Model Modified version fielded out of Littleton, NC and driven by Richmond's Ray Hendrick. Unbeatable.

At 6'4" and 63 years old you should see the "shoehorn" it takes to squeze into the window of a 32 ford.

It's about time

Ray Hendrick, another great that should be inducted in the Hall of Fame.

NASCAR? Its ME who wants a residual. Have been saying it for the past 4-5 years. NASCAR has convinced Madison Ave that its butts in the seats that matter for sponsor pricing. But I'M convinced its TV ratings that drive eyeballs and eventually consumer purchasing.

I think a NW schedule consisting of Myrtle Beach, IRP, Hickory, South Boston, Nashville Fairgrounds, etc. with smaller but full seating capacity - coupled with adequate TV coverage - will create more interest from a TV perspective than empty stands at big tracks. I'll take some mid-week racing also like back in the day at places like Columbia.

In turn, ratings go up, TV $ go up, and owners command mo' money from mo' sponsors. Everyone wins. Well, except for John Wes Townley. DEFINITELY no wins in his future.