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<\/p>\nFormer NASCAR driver and co-owner of JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has ridiculed the idea of having electric race cars in the sport’s second-tier O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly known as the Xfinity Series), saying “it would destroy the series.”<\/p>\n
Electrification of motorsports is a highly debated topic, and while other forms of motorsports, such as Formula One, have embraced partial electrification (50%), electrifying NASCAR could have serious repercussions, according to Dale Jr.<\/p>\n
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There is also Formula E, which is an exclusive all-electric single-seater series comprising race cars that run entirely on batteries. While NASCAR could take that route through an all-new electric series, talks about introducing electric cars to the current race format have already begun.<\/p>\n
NASCAR\u2019s executive vice president, John Probst, said\u00a0that introducing electric race cars in NASCAR’s tier-two series is one of the sport’s long-term goals.<\/p>\n
NASCAR Already Developed an Electric Race Car Prototype Two Years Ago<\/p>\n
NASCAR EV | Courtesy: NASCAR<\/p>\n
NASCAR revealed an electric race car prototype in 2024, developed by ABB, that produces 1,341 horsepower and looks more like a crossover utility vehicle (CUV). According to a report by AutoBlog<\/a>, the car is built on a 756-volt electrical architecture featuring a 78-kWh liquid-cooled battery that sits on the right side of the floor to mimic the handling of a gas-powered car.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The other components, such as the rack and pinion steering, double wishbone suspension, and 18-inch wheels, have been carried over from a Cup Series car.<\/p>\n Probst stated<\/a> back then that an electric NASCAR series could happen in the future. He revealed:<\/p>\n \u201cAt this point, I would say it\u2019s probably premature for me to speculate on [an EV series]. We\u2019ve worked with our OEM partners to figure out what that would look like, but that\u2019s down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n NASCAR’s O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series to Undergo Electrification?<\/p>\n Probst revealed that the O\u2019Reilly Series struggles with a brand identity, and fielding electric cars could help in that direction. He said<\/a>:<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the brand identity of those three, the O\u2019Reilly Series struggles a little bit just from the car perspective and you see it a lot because we refer to it often as whoever the entitlement sponsor is.”<\/p>\n Probst suggested that bringing electric race cars into NASCAR’s tier two division is part of the sport’s evolution in the 2030s. Hinting that NASCAR could develop the electric car on the lines of the 2024 prototype built in partnership with ABB, he said:<\/p>\n \u201cLong term, you see it as, we do have that CUV body that we developed for our electric vehicle. I\u2019m not sitting here saying today we\u2019re breaking news it\u2019s going to CUV, but these are the things that are on the roadmap to consider, so you\u2019d have a Truck, a CUV and a Cup, that\u2019s three very different bodies that are relevant for our OEMs today to create that brand identity for each series.”<\/p>\n Dale Jr. Opposes the Electrification of the NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series Image Credit: Shutterstock.<\/p>\n![\"nascar\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/70340571bd57a85839315747e1a9afe7.jpeg\"\/)
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