NASCAR’s current naturally-aspirated, 5.9 litre pushrod, 16-valve V8 has its origins in the 1950s. While a decade or so ago, fuel injection belatedly replaced the traditional, four-barrel carburettor, there is no escaping the fact that the mainstream automotive world has moved on from gas-guzzling muscle cars. NASCAR knows it has to move with the times, just as it did when it downsized from Big Blocks to Small Blocks half a century ago.

Further downsizing or hybridisation (following IndyCar’s lead)? Those are distinct, short-term possibilities, unlike full electrification, but that hasn’t stopped NASCAR producing the prototype of a fully-electric Cup car. This was revealed at NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race on July 7, as a product of the ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership.

The goal of this joint venture of EV pioneer ABB and the Cup series promoter is “to advance NASCAR’s strategic ambitions across electrification… [it] will explore high-performance electric racing and create strategic opportunities for electrification in the sport, including race vehicles, electrification infrastructure and energy education”.

Moreover, we are told by the partners that “ABB serves as a key strategic technology and sustainability partner as NASCAR evolves its office, track, racing competition and long-haul transportation operations…While NASCAR is committed to the historic role of the combustion engine in racing, it is also committed to decarbonising its operations and reducing its own carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035, through electrification and innovative solutions.”

So, while nobody is suggesting that Cup cars will be all-electric by 2035, the EV prototype unveiled in Chicago is a pointer to a possible future. It was developed at the NASCAR Research & Development Center, which oversaw the Next Gen Cup car and Le Mans Garage 56 entries.

We are further told that throughout the process, NASCAR and its OEMs – Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota – collaborated on the design and elements of the vehicle, which has a generic crossover utility vehicle body, and the Next Gen chassis as its foundation. It uses three Stard UHP six-phase motors (one front, two rear), supplying power directly to all four wheels. Supported by a 78 kWh, liquid-cooled battery and regenerative braking, this powertrain can produce peak power of 1,000 kW.