Chevrolet has had a busy announcement week in the lead-up to this weekend’s 67th Daytona 500, the iconic 500-mi NASCAR Cup Series season-opener held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL. The General Motors brand just revealed the Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype and earlier this week announced that the Blazer EV SS is set to pace the race.

For the Blazer EV.R racer, Chevrolet says it is an example of the brand continuing to test, learn, and explore new technologies that could be applied to both race programs and production cars.

“Motorsports is a test bed for innovation, and a training ground for our engineers—one that allows Chevrolet to try out new technologies in a fast-paced environment against the best competition,” said Eric Warren, Executive Director of Global Motorsports Competition for General Motors. “While we will continue to race our proven and winning V8 technology in NASCAR for years to come. We continually look for ways to improve the combination of power, durability, and efficiency to transfer learnings from the racetrack to the showroom, especially as we bolster Chevy’s consumer EV lineup.

Built on NASCAR’s Next Gen chassis and suspension componentry, GM Design worked with motorsports engineers to give the Blazer EV.R styling features inspired by the Blazer EV SS production vehicle.

“This program was a great opportunity with NASCAR to design a new crossover utility vehicle body and bring forward design elements from our Blazer EV SS,” said Phil Zak, Executive Director of Chevrolet Global Design. “The EV.R prototype offers lower and wider proportions and was designed with aerodynamics and performance in mind.”

The Blazer EV.R puts its power to the ground via an adaptive all-wheel-drive system and Goodyear Racing Eagle tires. Chevrolet worked closely with NASCAR and other manufacturers on the parameters and technical elements of the prototype, which delivers over 970 kW from three, six-phase electric motors that rev to 15,000 rpm powered by a 78-kW·h liquid-cooled battery.

“With the Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype, Chevrolet and its engineers meshed new technologies with the NASCAR Next Gen platform—and the result is a powerful, exciting vehicle that we believe fans will love when they see it at Daytona International Speedway,” said Brandon Thomas, NASCAR Vice President of Vehicle Design.

In July, NASCAR and ABB in the U.S. announced the ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership and revealed a new battery EV prototype at the 2024 NASCAR Chicago Street Race. ABB is a founding partner of NASCAR IMPACT, a broader umbrella platform launched to shepherd sustainability, community engagement, and other social initiatives for the racing series.

For their prototype, GM engineers were able to reliably turn laps at race pace during testing last month at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC. Test driving the prototype was Justin Allgaier, Team Chevy driver and 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion.

“There are so many things you don’t think about until you’re in the car actually testing it,” said Allgaier. “I’m used to knowing my speed through gearing and listening to engine revs, so I had to totally change how I judge corner entry speed. With this platform, we’re learning how to strategically adjust regenerative braking, which has a big impact on braking sections and cornering balance.”

 

Blazer EV SS pace car

The Blazer EV SS pacing the Daytona 500 will feature honorary pace car driver Alan Ritchson. This marks the first time a Blazer has paced “The Great American Race,” the first time an EV has paced the race, and the 16th time Chevrolet has led the Daytona 500 field to green.

Also this weekend, a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray will pace the Xfinity Series United Rentals 300 on Saturday and a Chevrolet Silverado RST will pace the Craftsman Truck Series Fresh From Florida 250 on Friday.

“Chevrolet is extremely proud to be a part of NASCAR’s season openers by pacing all of the events this year at the famed World Center of Racing,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President for GM Performance & Motorsports.

Race fans can get a close-up look at the four cars—Blazer EV SS, Blazer EV.R, Corvette Stingray, and Silverado RST—at various Chevrolet display properties at DIS.

Chevrolet swept all three NASCAR Manufacturers’ Championships in 2024 for the second year in a row. Across the three NASCAR series, Chevrolet has 102 wins at Daytona International Speedway including winning the Daytona 500 26 times—more than any other manufacturer. William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, is the defending Daytona 500 champion.

The Blazer EV SS is set to go on sale later this quarter. In SS-exclusive Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode, it produces 459 kW and 650 lb·ft (881 N·m) for 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) acceleration in just 3.4 s.

“We’re excited for customers to watch the Blazer EV SS—the quickest SS we’ve ever produced—pace such an iconic race this weekend,” said Scott Bell, Vice President of Global Chevrolet.

The pace car is a production vehicle with no performance upgrades, but it features custom graphics and embedded strobe lighting.

“We’re honored to have Chevrolet as a founding partner of Daytona International Speedway, and that the iconic brand chose to feature the all-new Blazer EV SS at the DAYTONA 500,” said Frank Kelleher, Daytona International Speedway Track President.

The Blazer EV SS features front Brembo brakes, a sportier chassis, a 17.7-in-diagonal color touchscreen, a standard Super Cruise advanced driver assistance system, and an EPA-estimated 303-mi (488-km) range.

 

2025 Blazer EV updates

In July 2022, Chevrolet revealed the all-electric 2024 Blazer EV based on GM’s Ultium platform with styling said to elevate the design established in 2018 by the gasoline-powered Blazer and performance cues inspired by the Camaro and Corvette.

For the 2025 model year, the headlining story of the range is the SS reaching the market. Its launch brings other updates to the broader Blazer EV range, which gets Midnight and Sport packages on LT trim, Super Cruise available on LT and RS AWD and standard on the SS, a two-tone roof available on LT and RS, and a new Habanero Orange exterior color.

The Blazer EV is unique in offering front-, all-, and rear-wheel drive (FWD, AWD, and RWD). Updated output numbers for non-SS models are 164 kW and 243 lb·ft (329 N·m) for the FWD, 224 kW and 355 lb·ft (481 N·m) for AWD, 272 kW and 325 lb·ft (441 N·m) for RWD. Permanent magnet motors are used across the range except for the AWD’s rear induction motor.

The Blazer EV is 192.2 in (4883 mm) long or 192.6 in (4893 mm) for the SS, 78.0 in (1982 mm) wide (without mirrors), and 65.0 in (1651 mm) tall or 64.8 in (1645 mm) for the SS, with all models on a 121.8-in (3094-mm) wheelbase. Curb mass ranges from 5009 lb (2272 kg) for the FWD to 5730 lb (2599 kg) for the SS. The maximum trailering capacity is 1500 lb (860 kg) for FWD and AWD and 3500 lb (1588 kg) for RWD. The SS doesn’t tow!

The battery pack features lithium-ion cells with NCMA (nickel cobalt manganese aluminum) cathode and blended graphite anode chemistry. Rated energy is 85 kWh for FWD and AWD models and 102 kWh for the RWD and SS, with an 8-yr/100,000-mi warranty.

The updated EPA-estimated ranges for 2025 are 283 mi (455 km) for the AWD and 334 mi (538 km) for the RWD. The FWD continues with 312 mi (502 km). Peak AC charging is 11.5 kW for DC, 150 kW for 85-kW·h batteries, and 190 kW for 102-kW·h batteries.

Chassis highlights are five-link independent front and rear suspensions. LT trims get 19-in wheels and 255/60R19 tires, RS trims have 21-in wheels and 275/45R21 tires, and SS gets the largest with 22-in wheels and 275/40R22 tires.

The standard Chevy Safety Assist package includes automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, following distance indicator, forward collision alert, and IntelliBeam auto high beams.

The available Convenience and Driver Confidence Package content includes adaptive cruise control, rear pedestrian alert, side bicyclist alert, HD surround vision, enhanced automatic emergency braking, intersection automatic emergency braking and reverse automatic braking.

A head-up display and rear camera mirror are available on the RS.