"The end of NASCAR"; "HARD PASS" - Fan backlash greets NASCAR's electric vehicle prototype

During the Chicago Racing Weekend, NASCAR rolled out its electric vehicle prototype in partnership with ABB, an electrification and automation company. The new ABB NASCAR EV prototype is the first part of the NASCAR Impact, an initiative by the sanctioning body to find alternatives to the combustion engine and reduce carbon footprints in the coming decade.

NASCAR engineers and the three OEM partners, Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet, developed this EV prototype. Additionally, they developed the Next-Gen cars in the Cup Series and the Garage 56 entry in the 24 Hours Le Mans last year.

Here's a closer look at NASCAR's new EV prototype:

No new EVs have been announced to join the national series, though. However, the majority of the sport's supporters voiced their disapproval on X without holding back.

"HARD PASS," a fan said.

"No thanks….yep #hardpass," a second fan said.

Meanwhile, a few other fans believe that this would be the "end of NASCAR."

"The End of NASCAR!" a user wrote.

"The death of NASCAR as we know it," another fan opined.

"NASCAR is reaching for 1 percent of fans and abandoning 70 percent of their fan base, this will kill the sport. The marketing directors need to really evaluate doing this," another wrote.

Here are some other reactions by fans who claim that they will stop watching stock car racing:

"IF NASCAR GOES ELECTRIC. I WILL STOP WATCHING," a fan wrote.

"I won’t watch a second of electric nascar racing," another fan said.

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David Ragan as a test driver details the NASCAR EV

Despite certain similarities to the Next-Gen car, such as the modified Next-Gen chassis for the body, the new ABB NASCAR EV prototype still has some important differences.

The prototype has been under development for almost two years. NASCAR veteran David Ragan, who last competed as a full-time driver in the Cup Series in 2019, has been involved in testing the electric vehicle during the development period.

Ragan drove the EV prototype, which has three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors that directly supply power to the specially designed tires. Moreover, it can produce 1,000 kW of power. Ragan, who ran over 477 races in his Cup career, was on a test drive at Martinsville Speedway, during which he said (via Racer.com):

"Getting into the corner, you can often tell how fast you’re rolling based off engine deceleration. Leaving the corner, when you blend up to the wall, you don’t always look to the right to see how close you are (because) you can almost hear it. The closer you get to the wall that engine tune changes because of our exhaust coming out of the side of the car bouncing off the wall."

The part-time driver who ran the 2024 Daytona 500 for RFK Racing continued by saying:

"I didn’t have any of that. So, I had to be a lot more conscious down the straightway looking and making sure I was using the whole racetrack."

According to Ragan, switching to electric vehicles would be just as significant as switching from conventional to next-generation automobiles. According to Ragan, drivers are just accustomed to the feel and features of some cars, so they feel comfortable driving them.