Supercars/NASCAR: General Motors announces the end of production of the Camaro

General Motors announced the end of the current sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro. The last unit will roll off the production line at the Lansing Grand River Assembly Plant in Michigan in January 2024. The decision made also has consequences for motorsport: the Camaro (or silhouettes resembling it) is used in NASCAR and Australian Supercars among others. In this last series, only since this season which has just started… In June, a Camaro in NASCAR version will be at the start during the 24 Hours of Le Mans in entry under the banner “Garage 56” for special projects.

Text: René de Boer (Twitter: @renedeboer)
Photos: Red Bull Content Pool/Mark Horsburgh, Rebocar/R. the farmer

Scott Bell, General Motors board member responsible for the Chevrolet brand, announced that a successor to the Camaro can be expected in the long term, without setting a specific deadline. However, given the group-level developments at General Motors, it’s obvious that this will be an all-electric model, meaning the possibilities for motorsport appear limited at the moment. In this, General Motors differs from, for example, Ford, which has already indicated that combustion engines will still be used for motorsport activities for the time being. Jim Campbell, vice president of performance and motorsport for Chevrolet Americas, said “our plan” is “to continue to compete and win at the highest levels of motorsport.”

The Australian Supercar Series organization, in which the Camaro debuted this year as a replacement for the defunct General Motors Holden marque, responded through CEO Shane Howard, who said the Camaro would be “at least “until the end of the 2025 season will lead in the series. “Since Bruce McPhee and Barry Mulholland took their much-publicized victory in a Holden Monaro at Bathurst in 1968, GM has contributed to the careers of some of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest drivers including Peter Brock, Mark Skaife , Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and more recently Shane van Gisbergen.

Camaro promotion with the car scheduled for Le Mans, last weekend at Sebring

Last weekend, a Camaro was the center of attention on the General Motors stand in the indoor area of ​​the Sebring circuit during the WEC and IMSA races. With strong support from General Motors and the NASCAR organization, the NASCAR-spec Camaro will race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June this year, marking the first time since the Corvette Greenwood in the mid-1970s. begin. Drivers for the project, which will mark NASCAR’s 75th anniversary, include multiple NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button and DTM champion and Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller.