To complete the NASCAR tie-in, Chevrolet revealed the Chevrolet SS at Daytona Beach with the help of Jeff Gordon.

One of the biggest ironies of modern-day NASCAR “stock car” racing is just how little the race cars have in common with their street car counterparts. Back in the early days, the adage for car makers involved in racing was “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” as enthusiasts bought up Chevys very similar to the cars they saw winning races. However, things have steadily progressed to the point now that the only thing street cars and stock cars share are four round wheels and a name.

In a recent interview with USA Today, NASCAR team owner and all around Chevy guy, Rick Hendrick said, “That’s what our sport has been missing; that tie between the showroom and the car enthusiast that wants to buy a car and drive it to the track that’s like the car we’re racing.”

Now, it seems that the Chevrolet SS could be playing a major role in the process of reversing that trend. It has been reported that Chevrolet pushed very hard for more superficial resemblance with the new Gen 6 Chassis to help recapture the attention of race fans – and there are rumors that Chevy may have even left NASCAR if the newest stock cars weren’t more closely linked with the actual street cars. Hey, at the very least the street Chevy SS is rear-wheel-drive just like the stock car. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Toyota and Ford’s offerings.  

To get more info on how the SS and Chevrolet might be changing NASCAR for the better, check out USA Today’s full break down from the SS’s reveal at Daytona International Speedway.