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Hendrick Motorsports President Jeff Andrews knows what it’s like to think outside the box when it comes to NASCAR and technology with the organization’s involvement in the Garage 56 project for the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. Electric racing, which has been a hot topic of conversation in NASCAR circles since an electric exhibition car debuted before the Chicago street race, is a concept that requires forward-thinking.
Andrews appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on July 11 and initially discussed the weekend in the Windy City with Alex Bowman winning his first race in 2024. When asked, he also provided details on what he thinks might be the potential future of electric racing in the sport.
“I commend NASCAR for pursuing that and getting that on track and having it in kind of a demonstration mode there. It’s certainly very interesting,” Andrews said. “We’re going to follow the direction our OEM, GM and Chevrolet want to go in and the markets they’re pursuing. And I think NASCAR is as well, right?
“They certainly are consulting with Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota on this and where they want to see this go and how big does it get? How big doesn’t it get? But I foresee in the future that you may have a six- or an eight-car exhibition-type thing that’s going on pre-race or post-race or something like that — just to showcase the technology. I don’t see it becoming part of our mainstream show on Sunday but I do think there’s a relevance there.”
Kevin Harvick Shares Candid Thoughts on Future NASCAR Electric Racing
Andrews’ comments came just a couple of days after Kevin Harvick offered his thoughts on the demo car in the July 9 episode of his “Happy Hour” podcast and delivered some candid remarks on NASCAR pursuing electric.
“I think the electric race car in itself — I think that scenario is probably a little bit political,” Harvick acknowledged. “I think with the manufacturers and just where NASCAR is at a whole and trying to put that electric vehicle together, I really think that EV push came from the manufacturers and NASCAR started this project. And the EVs aren’t doing as well as they were when the project started. And I think NASCAR finished the project and I think from a perspective standpoint, politics and emissions and all the things that go with the rest of the world, it’s great to see that you have something.
“But I think NASCAR was so far down the line with the EV project being pushed by the manufacturers that they finished it, but I think that the manufacturers at one point were ‘Hey, each of us will build three of them, we’ll put on some exhibition races.’ And I think when the EV thing went away, the manufacturers were like, ‘Hey, we’re not gonna do that anymore, so thanks but no thanks.’ And now NASCAR is stuck with this electric vehicle that they can do some demonstrations with, but that’s really the only thing that excites me about it. There’s really nothing about a race car that doesn’t make noise that has any excitement for me.”
Veteran Journalist Sees Options With NASCAR Electric Racing
The 2014 Cup champion’s remarks unsurprisingly made headlines. His fellow Fox reporter Bob Pockrass discussed electric racing and Harvick’s comments during a July 11 appearance on the “Beating and Banging” YouTube channel.
“The hard part is as I think Kevin mentioned, three or four years ago, this is really where the manufacturers were going,” the veteran journalist said. “It takes NASCAR a few years to develop a car. They got it done and now the manufacturers shifting to either hybrid and or hydrogen technology.
“They’re going to go wherever the manufacturers go. If the manufacturers ditch EV, NASCAR will ditch EV. If the manufacturers still want EV, and so a lot of electric vehicles, then I think NASCAR makes an electric vehicle series. Now, is that the Xfinity Series? Is that what it turns into? I mean, I could see it.
“I’m not going to say it’s going to happen, but I could see it. Or, as it appears that they’ve had some talks with Nitro Cross. Could that be where they end up putting this electric vehicle?”
It’s all speculation at this point. But based on what Andrews had to say, electric racing will likely continue to have a presence in NASCAR, albeit a limited one, and won’t take away from the overall experience.
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