Amid Doubts on Chevrolet’s NASCAR Future, is Cadillac a Good Replacement?

With the 2024 NASCAR Cup season just on the horizon, all teams are hard at work. Amid this, Ford and Toyota have unveiled their 2024 challengers. This leaves Chevrolet in the lurch because production for the Camaro is stopping in 2024. In other words, it may be the last season with the current spec of the Chevy Camaro. So all Chevrolet-run teams will have to seriously think about their future.

This is a decision that the parent company, General Motors, will have to make, sooner or later. At least NASCAR was lenient enough to allow the six-chartered and five non-chartered teams to run the cars for the upcoming season. However, the drawback is that introducing updates is next to useless since the car is no longer in production. So all the higher-ups at the parent company have to put their heads together and come out with a new car.

Could Cadillac be the saving grace for Chevrolet in NASCAR?

While the company’s options seem to be a bit limited, one is the Chevy Malibu. However, the Malibu is not exactly the most popular car in the United States. Even the Corvette is off the table because it does not exactly fit the NASCAR criteria, since it’s a mid-engine sports car. In 2013, Chevrolet took a massive gamble with the SS, which was just a rebranded Holden Commodore. Unfortunately, that trick will not work anymore, since Holden has been retired since 2021. This is where Cadillac could be the knight in shining armor in NASCAR.

The luxury automobile giants have two production vehicles, namely the CT4-V and the CT5-V or their Blackwing editions. So Chevy’s options could be to borrow the CT4-V or CT5-V and pull off a Holden 2013, or have Cadillac replace Chevrolet entirely. The second option could be highly contentious, so the first option makes sense. Realistically, Chevrolet has no choice, unless they bring back the Chevelle or the Nova.

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Cadillac is no stranger to motorsport racing

Honestly, roping in Cadillac for its NASCAR division will be a very good move because of its racing pedigree. Although it is known as a luxury car brand, Cadillac has dipped a toe in the motorsport scene. To be precise: the World Endurance Championship and the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Additionally, if Andretti does manage to sneak onto the F1 grid, Cadillac will be right there with them. This would also be a way for General Motors to unite all of its motorsports divisions into one single brand.

The inclusion of Cadillac in NASCAR could also rope in the IMSA and endurance racing fans, serving as a temporary stopgap for NASCAR and General Motors. In essence, Cadillac could keep Chevrolet’s seat warm until the sport eventually decides to go electric or hybrid in the future. Of course, the process will be difficult, because Chevrolet has so much NASCAR history.

The manufacturer boasts of 851 wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, 42 manufacturer championships, and 33 driver’s titles. This completely dwarfs the likes of Ford, which has 728 wins, 17 manufacturer’s, and 11 driver’s championships. Finally, Toyota is a country mile away with 180 wins, 3 manufacturer championships, and three driver’s titles. It would be hard to bid farewell because it has been with NASCAR the longest and has been the most successful. This would be like seeing Scuderia Ferrari suddenly leaving F1. The thought is absolutely ludicrous.

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