NASCAR News: Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Racecar Set to Debut New Look for 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Season

Chevrolet will hit the track for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season sporting an updated design of its Camaro ZL1 racecar (rendering shown), with its competition debut set to come in February at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray.

The latest edition Camaro ZL1 racecar will feature upgraded styling that is aligned with Chevrolet’s recently released Camaro ZL1 Carbon Performance Package accessories kit for owners to optimize the performance capabilities of the sixth-generation Camaro ZL1 production car. Chevrolet collaborated with NASCAR and its teams on this update.

The most prominent racecar changes are a larger hood power dome, a revised front grille, and more pronounced rocker panels along the sides of the car. These mirror the new Carbon Performance Package’s carbon-fiber hood insert and rockers, plus ZL1 1LE-spec front grille and splitter.

Chevrolet is not currently selling any new versions of the Camaro because the production of the 2024 model year was the final run for the gas-powered vehicle. While the passenger car is discontinued, the Camaro nameplate lives on in racing, with the Camaro ZL1 used in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Camaro SS used in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chevrolet has not announced any future plans for a next-generation Camaro.

When that news broke in March 2023 that the Camaro was headed to the waste bin, Scott Bell – Global Chevrolet’s vice president – hinted that the venerable nameplate could return.

“While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story,” Bell said.

Dating back to 1955, Chevrolet has competed with 14 different nameplates in the NASCAR Cup Series – recording 881 all-time victories, 34 Driver Championships, and 44 Manufacturer Championships, including the past five Manufacturer titles, to earn the title as the winningest manufacturer in the series’ history.