Even though Chevrolet stopped building the Camaro almost two years ago, the nameplate isn’t fully gone. While there’s no replacement model in sight, Chevy is keeping its spirit alive on the track by updating the Camaro ZL1 race car for NASCAR’s upcoming season. The new version carries over design cues from the recently introduced Carbon Performance Package made for sixth-generation Camaro ZL1 owners, giving the race car a fresher and more aggressive look. It now sports a larger hood power dome, a reshaped grille, and sharper rocker panels that closely mirror the upgrades offered to road-going ZL1 coupes.
For Camaro owners, the new Carbon Performance Package adds several functional components, including the ZL1 1LE grille, a redesigned splitter with carbon-fiber end caps, a carbon-fiber hood insert, extended carbon-fiber rocker panels, and a massive carbon-fiber rear wing. Buyers can also choose optional Tech Bronze wheels. Chevy says the aero kit isn’t just cosmetic—it pushes the ZL1 remarkably close to the downforce levels of the 1LE model, within five percent. At 155 mph, the upgraded aerodynamics boost downforce by an impressive 361 percent.
The refreshed NASCAR Camaro ZL1 will officially hit the track in February at the Cook Out Clash held at Bowman Gray Stadium in North Carolina. As for a seventh-generation street Camaro, there’s still no green light. GM President Mark Reuss has previously said that any new Camaro would need to hit the sweet spot between excitement, design, and everyday usability. But with sports-car sales declining and the market shifting toward crossovers and EVs, the business case for a new Camaro seems weak. Earlier reports even claimed that internal plans for the car were scrapped. For now, it appears the Camaro’s future is tied to racing rather than a return to dealership showrooms.
