ESPN has a poll and includes VW, Hyundai, Honda, and BMW.
BMW? They have a long and broad history of racing internationally, including ALMS (GT) and Grand-Am (DP and GT classes). But everyone expects BMW to turn right, and there just isn’t much opportunity to do that in NASCAR. Given BMWs strong reputation for handling, I doubt that they want to participate in NASCAR.
Honda? Maybe. They also have a strong history in racing, and their main Asian competitor is one of the 3 remaining factory sponsors.
Hyundai? I’m not sure they’re ready. They’ve done Pike’s Peak and drifting, but this would be a big step forward.
VW? I think that VW is most likely. They claim that they want to be the largest manufacturer in the world, and that would have to include significantly larger sales in the USA. One way to enhance sales for a brand that fancies itself as the sporty alternative, is to race in premier venues, and NASCAR is certainly that. Watch for a CC in the next year or two.
I also think that Mazda is a possibility if they can stand the funding necessary to field a car or two.
I’d guess nobody, it’s such big $$. And they’d have to buy a team or start from ground zero, right? Dodge got out because the Penske folks switched to Ford, not because they wanted to get out.
Dodge? Ford? Chevy? NASCAR is a joke…The cars are all purpose-built tube-frame racing machines with whatever sheet-metal gives the racing team the most money…There is NO relationship to a “Stock Car”…
They should go back to true stock cars modified for racing, a run-what-you-brung free for all like the old days…But the basic car should be a show-room model…
+1 to Caddyman’s comment.
Anyone who thinks that Nascar vehicles bear any mechanical resemblance to the cars sitting in showrooms is, (I’ll try to be kind)…naive in the extreme. Other than an outward cosmetic resemblance to production models (albeit with no actual factory body parts), these vehicles are not at all like production vehicles.
I find it absolutely bizarre that some folks apparently base their car purchases on the outcome of competitions that have no connection with the car that is actually being purchased.
NASCAR is nothing like it usrd to be . the cars our all cookie cuttter all made to a standard build sheet. the only thing about them that is stock is the nose on the car.
The Rolex series (24 hours of LeMans) they our the closest thing to a real street car or the tourin car series. they our still heavly modified roll cages , or SCCA local events that is about stock as youre going to get
I think that most NASCAR fans like drivers first, then their sponsors second. I think the attraction of NASCAR races is the 2 and 3 wide action for much of the time. F1 almost never has 2-wide racing after the first turn.
The COTP evolved over time to provide cars that would let the drivers shine. Indycar did this with Honda engines until this year. If the NASCAR faithful ever tire of the COTP, there will be a replacement that meets the desires of the huge fan base to see their type of racing.
@BigMarc: I agree that Rolex racing is most like the cars we can buy, but only in the GT segment. The same applies to Grand Am racing.
In a marketing class I once took, we studied NASCAR fan sponsor loyalty, and it’s higher than you think. There are rednecks who drive around with Sunoco stickers on their cars because Sunoco is the official fuel of NASCAR. I guess you could say NASCAR fans are some of the most gullible when it comes to being influenced by advertising.
Actually Caddyman is only partially right. They still use production based blocks, Fords still use an updated version of the 351W, the most recent version being the FR9. The Chevy’s still use the venerable SBC, Dodge’s engine used to be based on the 340, and Toyota, actually had to open a foundry to produce X number of blocks because they never made a pushrod V8 until they got into NASCAR… You can actually buy a race block from any of the manufacture’s racing catalogs.
The Chevy engine is the only one still used (kind of) in production cars…They are ALL purpose-built for NASCAR racing…The sport would be far better served if they had to use actual (modified) production engines used in production cars during the currant model year…
Ford would LOVE to use their overhead cam multi-valve direct injected Mustang engine…
As long as the track owners, sponsors and racing teams are happy they will keep their cookie-cutter cars which deliver near identical performance…
NASCAR had better worry. Their TV ratings and empty seats in the stands signify something is going wrong. It was reported that there was a 100k empty seats at the Indy race a few weeks back.
Just my 2 cents, but NASCAR has become a staged dog and pony show with bland cars and generic drivers who can’t utter one sentence without mentioning their sponsor, or sponsors.
I stick to drag racing and the Australian Super Cars series; with the latter being door slammers with working lights, wipers, and running in the rain if necessary.
What does that make drivers like like Montoya, Villeneuve, or Räikkönen? All of whom have tried racing in NASCAR and none of whom are competitive outside of road courses.
also @Caddyman, the 5.0L Coyote in the Mustang isn’t direct injected, Ford left that on the table for the future.
“What does that make drivers like like Montoya, Villeneuve, or Räikkönen? All of whom have tried racing in NASCAR and none of whom are competitive outside of road courses.”
I think it makes them students that need more practice. I don’t think that any top driver could start in another top series and expect to have instant success. The cars are different, and even the tracks usually are different.
Honestly, I doubt anyone is going to pick up when Dodge leaves.
No matter what anyone says, there is no uptick in vehicle sales due to Nascar’s car series.
No one, drunk hillbilly redneck or otherwise, watches a Nascar event, sees the Ford Taurus win, and decide they are going to trade in their car the next day because of it.
