Codenamed XV80, the ninth-gen Camry premiered on November 14 with hybrid inline-four power exclusively. The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series race car, on the other hand, packs the Next Gen 5.86-liter pushrod V8 imposed by the technical regulations.
A completely different animal from the street-going Camry, the race car is officially dubbed Camry XSE Next Gen, with XSE referring to the best-equipped trim level of the bunch. Standing out in the crowd with hammerhead styling for the front end, this generation of the Camry switched to all-hybrid powertrain choices due to increasingly stringent emission regulations in the United States market.
Steve Phelps, the president of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, famously said that hybridization may come to NASCAR in 2024. But alas, the switch to hybrid V8 muscle isn't on the cards for 2024. IndyCar is also looking forward to moving toward hybrid powertrains, following in the footsteps of the Le Mans Hypercar and IMSA LMDh categories in endurance racing.
Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship also run hybrids. Also worthy of note, there's a big push for e-fuels in many premier series. On the one hand, synthetic fuels would help these series keep the internal combustion engine alive for the foreseeable future. But more importantly, we all know that Formula E is a bit of a snoozefest due to the very obvious lack of aural drama.
Turning our attention back to the Camry, the NCS race car has big shoes to fill. Toyota may have finished the 2023 season behind Chevy, but remember that the Camry TRD Next Gen racked up 18 victories and 25 poles over the last two seasons of the ultra-competitive Cup Series.
Photo: Toyota
We also have to remember that Toyota is the only manufacturer in NASCAR to field three nameplates across the national series. In addition to the Camry, there's the GR Supra in the Xfinity Series and Tundra TRD Pro in the Craftsman Truck Series. With Legacy Motor Club making the switch from Chevrolet to Toyota in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series, no fewer than eight units of the Camry XSE will compete against the S650-generation (seventh) Mustang and sixth-gen Camaro.
Even though the internal combustion-engined Camaro will be discontinued after the 2024 model year, Chevrolet is allowed to field the Camaro in NASCAR. The regulations clearly state that a car is eligible for on-track duty if the vehicle in question is sold that season. General Motors announced that the sixth-gen Camaro would end production in January 2024. However, word has it that the final coupe will roll off the assembly line in Lansing next month.
There is hearsay according to which General Motors will bring the Camaro nameplate back for an electric sedan, a scenario that would greatly dilute the Camaro's iconic status. Then again, Ford also spoiled the Mustang with an Escape-based electric SUV.
On an ending note, the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series will kick off in February with the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The season will conclude at Phoenix Raceway on November 10.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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