Chevrolet has officially announced that they will be racing the Camaro ZL1 1LE in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series, thus retiring the Camaro ZL1.
Despite the moniker, the racer has nothing in common with the road-legal 1LE. The bowtie brand was not allowed to do any mechanical changes to the car, so it’s virtually identical to its predecessor, bar a few aerodynamic enhancements inspired by the production model.
Video: 2019 Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE Goes Flat-Out During Half-Mile Speed Test
“The ZL1 1LE is the highest performer within the Camaro production-car lineup”, said Chevrolet U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports, Jim Campbell. “We took lessons from the production car and applied them to the new 2020 Cup car.”
The new racer will debut next February during the Daytona Speedweeks that opens the 2020 NASCAR season. It will join the Camaro SS, which has been their entry in the NASCAR XFINITY Series since 2013, winning 76 races, four manufacturer’s championships and four driver’s championships. Chevrolet hopes the Camaro ZL1 1LE will be a successful heir to their NASCAR legacy, as the company holds 39 manufacturer championships, including 13 consecutive titles between 2003 and 2015.
Introduced for the 2018 season, the outgoing Camaro ZL1 won pole position and the season opening of the Daytona 500. This year, it has won seven races so far and powered five Team Chevy drivers into the playoffs.
