NASCAR Ready to Explore the Idea of a Separate All-Electric Division That Will Run Parallel to Cup Series

In the last few years, NASCAR, as a sport, has taken some huge steps to move forward, both in terms of technology and culture. Historically speaking, this is a sport that is still, to this day, very much in touch with its past.

While being traditional and being in touch with one’s roots is a good thing, ‘only’ being in touch with them can prevent progress.

Fortunately, though, NASCAR is progressing. The Next Gen car, inclusivity, a calendar with a variety of circuits, it’s all coming together quite nicely.

And the next step in this progressive wave of change could be the introduction of a standalone, parallel division of racing that will have all-electric cars. This is what NASCAR’s newly promoted Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell also recently spoke about.

“There’s a huge push across all of our OEM partners and even new OEM partners. It’s important for us to explore that space,” O’Donnell said about electrification. “I think there’s a lot of interest from our current partners to be part of that. But we look at NASCAR as a place where, in an ideal world, it would be all things to all people.”

“If you went to a NASCAR event weekend, you could see whatever types of technologies you wanted throughout a race weekend.”

NASCAR is open to other technologies but has one condition

Steve O’Donnell, to many’s surprise, claimed fans are “very open” about the ideas of newer technologies taking over NASCAR. He described how along with electric, there are a bunch of other technologies like hydrogen to explore as well.

That being said though, O’Donnell put forward one condition before everything –“For us, the race has to be entertaining.”

Feb 27, 2022; Fontana, California, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones (43) leads the field during the WISE Power 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

“Our fans, they love noise, they love the sound, the feel of racing.”

He added, “So if we’re gonna get into the electric space, I promise you it will be entertaining and it will be something that fits into our portfolio and something our fans will be proud of.”

Also Read: “That’s On Us” – NASCAR Vows to Prevent Another Spencer Boyd Incident

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