You Can Now Buy a NASCAR Camaro to Go Road Racing

Camaro stock cars are built by Hendrick Motorsports and pack LSX power.

While the Chevrolet Camaro stock cars used in the NASCAR series are best known for going fast in left-handed circles, the most popular motorsport association in the United States also has a few road courses on the schedule. For those events, the teams use specially prepared cars and over the course of the past few years, hardcore road racing enthusiasts have been purchasing old NASCAR road racers to use at their local tracks.

In seeing the market for these used NASCAR road racers, Hendrick Motorsports has launched their Track Attack program. According to The Drive, these Camaro race cars are based on the current NASCAR chassis and they look the part but these are not previously used competition cars. These are brand new cars, built from scratch, specifically for the Track Attack program, and they feature LSX power that runs on pump gas.

Track Attack Camaro

The Hendrick Racing Track Attack program starts with the current NASCAR road racing chassis and adds a fully adjustable independent suspension setup. This includes road race-ready shocks, springs, sway bars and panhard rod, allowing every raced the ability to dial-in the suspension for different tracks and conditions. The NASCAR chassis is also equipped with six-piston front brakes and four-piston rears, all tucked behind NASCAR-style wheels wrapped in huge Goodyear racing slicks. It should be noted that you can also opt for the Chevy SS body style, but we would like to think that most people go with the Camaro ZL1, as it looks great in NASCAR form.

On the inside, the Hendrick Track Attack Camaro has a similar bare bones cabin to what you will find in the team’s NASCAR competition cars. This includes the full safety cage complete with the built-in fire suppression system, and the custom-formed carbon fiber seat. Every person who buys one of these cars will have to visit Hendrick’s shop, where they will get all of the measurements for a seat that will perfectly fit the driver’s body.

Finally, the standard heart of the Hendrick Motorsports Track Attack Camaro is an 7.4-liter LSX crate engine, sending 627 horsepower and 586 lb-ft of torque towards the rear wheels by means of a Hendrick Motorsports 9-inch rear differential and an Andrews A431 four-speed manual transmission, just like the NASCAR competition cars. This engine is designed to make those numbers on 93-octane pump gas, so no worry of running expensive race gas with the Hendrick Camaro road racer.

Now, if you want to buy pricier fuel and have more of the NASCAR feel, you can go with an R07 NASCAR V8 with 725 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. That will cost you an extra $25,000, making the LSX seem like the better option for anyone racing on any kind of budget.

Price

So, we mentioned above that the R07 engine upgrade costs $25,000. The base price of the Hendrick Motorsports Track Attack Camaro (or Chevy SS) is $125,000 with the LSX. Some of you might immediately scoff at a $125,000 track toy, but consider this.

The Hendrick Camaro road racer costs about as much as the C7 Corvette ZR1. The supercharged ‘Vette has more power, but it doesn’t offer the race-purposed safety equipment and on the right track, we would bet that the NASCAR Camaro could turn out better lap times than the C7 ZR1. Also, say that you get a little too friendly with the wall. The ZR1 will have to go to a body shop for costly repairs, but with these modular track cars, you can just order the new sheet metal and any parts under the metal that have been damaged.

Ultimately, if you are serious about getting into road racing, there is no option on the market today that will provide you with a safer, more capable and easier-to-repair machine that the Hendrick Track Attack Camaro stock car. $125,000 is hardly chump change, but for someone who wants to hand out beatings on the road course, that is actually a pretty low number.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com