“What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday.” That simple motto is what a plethora of global brands have sworn by for decades. Whether it’s Mercedes and BMW battling it out in the DTM championship or Red Bull Racing dominating Formula 1, a race-winning car’s influence on a manufacturer’s customer base knows no bounds, irrespective of whether their product is an energy drink. However, when the conversation turns to marketing a vehicle, there’s no series that does it better than NASCAR.

With the word ‘Stock Car’ in the very title of the series, it’s no secret that America’s favorite racing category has acted as the proving ground for various automotive manufacturers. Whilst Ford has greatly benefited from their 17 Cup Series titles, no one puts up a challenge quite like Chevrolet, with twice as many titles as Ford, but the reigning champions find themselves in a fix as we head into the 2024 season.

Chevrolet’s marketing team loses out as the Camaro ZL1 returns for one last hurrah

Consequentially, the sport has done wonders for the Bowtie company’s sales, with the ZL1 remaining a fan favourite for decades. Unfortunately for the Chevy marketing team, the lack of planning for a new challenger and the Camaro’s end-of-production could not have come at a worse time!

While the iconic silhouette has served Chevrolet well, all good things must come to an end. As the iconic chassis departs Chevy’s production line at the end of 2023, it leaves the team without a fresh body for the 2024 season.

The renowned Fox Sports reporter, Bob Pockrass, shared a tweet regarding Chevrolet’s fate. Adding to the marketing department’s misery, the manufacturer elected to ride out the storm with the ZL1, – which has served them brilliantly.

This is possible because NASCAR rules state that a manufacturer must use a car still in production at the time of its entry, which the Camaro ZL1 was when it debuted in 2018. But if it’s been such an engineering marvel, why would the sales team take a hit?

Going back to the unofficial golden rule, even if the Zl1 wins on Sunday in 2024, there won’t be any in-production to sell on Monday! But that’s not the only woeful aspect of Chevy’s situation. The Camaro ZL1 hasn’t been winning hearts as of late, with its last production line being shortened and many variants removed from The Bowtie’s offerings.

This means that the 2024 season would disappoint Chevy’s marketing department with the inability to sell the product they are racing in the Cup Series. With how dominant the Camaro was in the Le Mans, Chevrolet would have preferred a car that’s in production over the ZL1 simply because of sales reasons.

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Although the Camaro helped Chevy remain a fan and track favourite, it could fail fans’ expectations miserably in 2024, especially with the announcements Ford and Toyota made about their upcoming challengers.

Ford and Toyota pile the pressure on the ageing Camaro ZL1

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Earlier this month, Chevy’s neighbour competition, Ford, unveiled a souped-up version of the Mustang Dark Horse as its Cup Series challenger for 2024. Not only are they bringing some serious heat to the new season, but the Dark Horse is also touted to be a key contender for GT3 and GT4 tours across the planet with the Mustang Dark Horse R edition entering its namesake Challenge Series.

Unlike Chevy’s recycling project, drivers were ecstatic when the Dark Horse was unveiled, with Brad Keselowski sharing, “If she gallops as fast as she looks, it’s going to be a good year. I think of how the Mustang has evolved over the years and how NASCAR has evolved along with it and they’re just two brands that go together. I’m proud to get to drive it and proud to be able to compete for the win in this car,” the RFK Racing owner was quoted by AutoSport.

On the other hand, Toyota’s Racing Department isn’t one to be counted out so quickly, with the Japanese outfit unveiling its 2024 model recently. The Camry XSE features a hammerhead front-end and an aggressive redesign to the body line to maximize aerodynamic performance. Whilst its design has been the subject of criticism from the community already, Toyota is confident in what they have achieved with the improved successor of the Camry TRD.

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With both Ford and Toyota pulling out the big guns for the 2024 season, can the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 exit the Cup Series and enter the history books with a bang?