NASCAR: New manufacturer closer than we think?
By Randy Smith
NASCAR has shown that they planning for the future in all aspects of the sport, and it seems that they are not slowing down.
The 2021 NASCAR season has seen quite a bit of change throughout the sport, not only in all three national series from a competition standpoint but in terms of the business aspect as a whole. The Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Truck Series have all seen new schedules with new tracks in new cities.
This season has been one that has paid homage to the “old school” days of NASCAR, with dirt races added to Cup Series and the Truck Series.
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But complementing these welcome additions to the calendar was something else: a glimpse into the future of the sport in the form of an influx of new road courses, including Circuit of the Americas, where no NASCAR national series had ever visited.
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Add in a rumored street circuit race for some point in the near future, and the rhetoric of “cars driving around in circles” is over.
Even with the sport having flipped the script from years past, their plans for the future continue to grow. The Next Gen car is set to debut next year, and reports of an electric companion series have emerged. Yet again, the desire for tradition, balanced with innovation, is on display in a new lineup of cars branded as the “Rebirth of Stock”.
As NASCAR continues their plan to evolve the sport, their focus is expanding from tracks and new cars to who is making those cars.
Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern shared that while NASCAR has declined to comment, there is “industry chatter” that they are progressing to “sign at least one new manufacturer”.
.@NASCAR declined to comment on industry chatter that it has made significant progress recently in its bid to sign at least one new manufacturer. https://t.co/WkBorSwtiG
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) June 17, 2021
While it is unclear which manufacturer(s) NASCAR is trying to sign alongside Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, and it would be a huge challenge to pinpoint any specific make as a lock to join the sport at some point in the future, the possibilities are endless.
Both BMW and Honda have denied interest in coming to the sport despite past rumors, but they are still involved in almost every other form of motorsport.
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So while patience is a virtue into figuring out the “who” and “when” of a new manufacturer or manufacturers coming into NASCAR, the days of Pontiac and Dodge are gone — and Toyota has now been here for well over a decade. A new manufacturer or two would only serve as an added layer into the ever-changing future of the sport.