CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Ford will enter a new version of its Mustang in select races in next year's second-tier NASCAR Nationwide Series. The car was unveiled in a ceremony in Charlotte Tuesday.
Dodge is expected to race a version of its own iconic 2+2, the Challenger, next year as the Daytona Beach, Florida-based sanctioning body attempts to reinvent its junior division, previously known as the Busch Series. The new car will be used in four races, starting with the July 2 race at Daytona International Speedway.
"It's been a long project that we've worked on, changing the identity of the Nationwide Series, giving us our own look and our own unique competition out on the racetrack," series director Joe Balash told the Charlotte Observer.
For the past decade and a half, the cars competing in the series were nearly identical to the top-level Sprint Cup Series machines with only minor variations in dimensions and engine components.
The Nationwide Series car remains similar to the old Cup car, predecessor to the new model introduced in 2007 and labeled the Car of Tomorrow, or COT. The new Cup car was introduced in 16 selected events in 2007 and last year became the standard piece.
Roush Fenway Racing provided the model that was unveiled. The No. 16 car will be driven by Colin Braun.
The car is designed to bear a stronger resemblance to its production counterpart than other NASCAR machines. It will utilize a traditional blade rear spoiler, unlike the wing spoiler on the Cup COT, but will have a front splitter similar to the COT's.
Chevrolet has no plans to use NASCAR to market its reprised Camaro, and Toyota, the fourth manufacturer participating in NASCAR's national series, does not have a representative with the heritage of the U.S.'s "Big Three" automakers. They will continue to race the Impala and Camry body styles, modified to new Nationwide Series rules.
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