627hp Track Attack car mimics NASCAR racer
There's nothing stock about a stock car
The closest most people have been to driving an actual NASCAR is playing SEGA's 2000 arcade game, which was once a prevalent and very loud presence in Hollywood Bowls and seaside amusement parks across the nation. But now, with up to 20 years of pixelated practice under our belts, there's a new and considerably more visceral version of the ultimate NASCAR experience. It arrives courtesy of US team Hendrick Motorsports, which is building real life stock cars to mimic its competition machines that are available for customer purchase.
While the new model will be based on tubular chassis just like the real things, these customer machines are intended for track days rather than racing - so any radio instructions to "go high" will be purely for the fun of it - hence the name Track Attack. But with a 627hp 7.4-litre Chevy LSX motor under the bonnet as standard, or - for additional hair on your chest - an optional 725hp carburettor-fed V8, the experience for the driver should certainly not feel short on authenticity. Or speed. Or noise.
Traditionalists will be happy to see the standard fitment of a four-speed H-pattern gearbox in the Track Attack, which NASCARs still run with to this day. Alternatively (and to negate the requirement for an embarrassing push from the marshals after a spin), there's the option of a sequential gearbox with a reverse gear. Either way, the Track Attack will be tough to handle proper circuit work, as evidenced by its nine-inch-thick rear axle, said to be capable of handling 900hp - 100hp more than actual NASCARs produce.
This potent hardware will be wrapped in lightweight panels to make the silhouette of either Chevrolet SS or Camaro ZL1 racers, with thin sheet metal and carbon fibre used on the body, while the screens are polycarbonate at the front and rear for maximum lightness. The body will even feature the anti-flip flap that pops up when the racers roll backwards in an accident, while inside there's little more than a race dash, wheel and bucket seat - so to anyone this side of a racing scrutineer, this is a proper NASCAR.
Better yet, because this is an American car made in America, the estimated starting price is set to be in the region of $125,000. Which is about £95k. For a diehard NASCAR fan who wants to live out the experiences of their heroes, we suspect that'll be an extremely difficult offer to resist. Shake 'n bake, etc.
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