(Honda image: James H.) During an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR, Chairman Brian France let an interesting tidbit slip: other manufacturers, looking at the success that Toyota had with their Camry program, have been sniffing around at the possible prospect of running their own vehicles in Sprint Cup racing. Considering that NASCAR has been pretty much Chevy vs. Ford since GM yanked support for the Pontiac Grand Prix back in 2003, Dodge packed up and pounded sand a few years ago and the rest of the brands have been long gone from the sport, it’s kind of curious that companies are starting to come around. But that does leave one question: which brand would return?
Our opinion: Dodge pulled up stakes in 2012, and we don’t see them coming back anytime soon. FCA has bigger fish to fry at the moment, so unless a team is going to field a showroom stock Hellcat Charger with safety equipment added, we aren’t worried. Buick used to have a big presence in the sport, but honestly, ask yourself: how many Chinese really give a rat’s backside about a sport that still has strong roots in the American South? Honda and Hyundai-Kia might be candidates, but they would be pulling the same play that Toyota did, which was to earn brand recognition and nothing more. Anyone else, especially European manufacturers, would be the bombshell of the century, and of course there is that Photoshop of a Tesla Model S NASCAR floating around the Internet. But what do you think?
Buick. That new two door concept car or the new Lacrosse would be perfect. Jeez when you think about it there isnt much left anymore. We better buy more American cars.
Hyundai with the V8 Genesis was my first thought as well.
VW kinda makes sense, but they have even more issues than FCA LLC!
That is not a true representation of a high-performance Honda. Where is the massive fart cannon, 6 tiered rear wing and bad body kit?
Hope another foreign manufacturer jumps in so I can hate them like Toyota. Wish Dodge would get back into the series.
Mercedes Benz would be pretty awesome, and Rolls Royce would be kind of epic.
VW is the obvious choice. Picture this; they lobby for Diesel engine technologies to run with the gas burners. NAPCAR allows it since no other manufacturer is knocking on the doors these days. VW pulls a fast one and tunes their engines to roll coal therefore blinding the rest of the field. Rednecks and millennial boys love it. VW wins everything.
It could happen…
Would love to see Dodge come back with the Hemi. And please no more rice rockets in an American sport.
Who cares?
The chassis is purpose built tube, the body work is plastic bearing “meh” resemblence to anything actually being driven or mass produced, the engines are (awesome) bespoke 2v pushrod jobbers between 350 & 358 cubes… Production car technology has so far surpassed Nascar’s rulebook and so much money has been dumped into fully custom, one-off components of every decription that I just don’t give a flip who enters NASCAR.
Let’s say Honda or VW built a NASCAR team.
What’s going to make their Honda or VW racer “Honda” or “VW” ?
Not a damn thing. No DOHC turbo’ed 4, no VR6 or W12 engines, no GDI… it’d just be another high strung 2v pushrod @ 5.7 liters.
So why does it even matter?
Why keep up the pretense of being a “Chevy” or “Ford” car?
Ford hasn’t built a pushrod engine since.. what.. the mid nineties or so?
NASCAR is legit, I’m not picking on the premise of “turn left, quickly, in a pack of 20 other cars” as entertainment.
I just don’t see that it has anything to do with manufacturers (at all)
Honda should join since Toyota is now a dominate force in NASCAR
Since 2012 or so, the Nascar Sprint Cup race cars closely resemble their street counterparts, which is HUGE.
Put the “car” back in NASCAR and maybe “they will return.” Otherwise, who gives a flying, fiddler’s f#$k?