When will NASCAR have its fourth OEM? This was the question brewing every season until Ram announced their return to NASCAR, partially though (Truck Series only), which opened the doors for new partners to look up to NASCAR once again. And going by the latest updates, a fellow NASCAR manufacturer is trying to revive a lost identity.

According to industry insider Caleb Miller from Car and Driver, the Chevrolet Camaro, along with the other two models, is expected to share a common architecture and will be produced at GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly plant in Michigan. Camaro has been discontinued not once but twice, in 2004 and then again in 2024. But with this update, it looks like GM is building something behind the scenes in hopes of restoring its legacy.

The Lansing Grand River Assembly plant previously produced Camaros, which were phased out after 2024, and it currently builds Cadillac’s CT5 and CT4 sedans. So, Cadillac, Buick, and Camaro will all be produced in the same facility, and there’s good news for NASCAR fans. The new Camaro is expected to feature internal combustion powertrains. And we also have a fair idea of how soon this new Camaro model will hit the roads.

As per the reports, the production of the new Camaro could begin as soon as 2027. Also, the new 6.7-liter V-8 that is featured in the Corvette Stingray will be seen in the new Pony Tail car. But the question begs, will this new update by GM change anything on the ground level in NASCAR?

Ever since GM discontinued the Camaro in 2024, Chevrolet has had a tough time positioning itself. How can a company market a product or a series of cars that are discontinued, right? But still, the new 2026 body design had the flavors of Camaro. And if the recent updates are to be true, we might see more changes on the branding level.

Also, do not count out new body designs for the Chevy partnered NASCAR teams. 

Ford had a new Mustang, whereas Toyota had a new Camry. But Chevy was running the old design, and finally, there’s hope that the Bowtie will deliver a fresh look for Camaro. And as far as sales go, they can follow Ram’s lead, who have reported a 20% jump in the first quarter, a whopping 9,000 units of their pickups led this revival. While all this sounds good on paper, the ground reality might be a little different. 

A new Camaro body delivers both enhancements and flaws

This year, Chevy rolled out the new tweaks for the Camaro bodies. There’s more to these design changes, from aerodynamics to performance; everything’s affected. And the numbers from 2026 suggest that the newly updated 2027 body could lead to more problems than solutions.

So far this season, the Hendrick Motorsports Chevys have been off their pace. Tyler Reddick has won 4 fours, Denny Hamlin has won one for himself, whereas the Ford has one win with Ryan Blaney. After 7 races, Chase Elliott, who bagged the win at Martinsville, had only led 103 laps. In comparison, Hamlin had led 444 laps.

Kyle Larson is on a 31-race winless streak, and William Byron hasn’t been able to continue his solid start to the season. Even the HMS leadership confessed that the new body is a work in progress, and they are trying to find the right balance.

“We know that this new body, whatever the upgrades, they show a lot of potential. But that doesn’t always mean it’s just automatic on how you extract it. It’s definitely a little bit of a balance change, so we’re working through that,” Jeff Gordon said.

2027 isn’t far, and in case Chevy brings out more upgrades, the engineers inside the HMS garage will be in for another challenge. And this might offer the opportunity to Ford and Toyota teams to capitalize on this transition phase and rack up some wins and championships.