There has been a boost in common ground between the two categories recently, the most prominent example being Shane van Gisbergen and his shock debut win in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The Kiwi parlayed that success into a full-time NASCAR deal for 2024 – and is expected not to be the last to make the switch.
Newly-crowned Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki also made his Cup Series debut last year and is set to make more appearances this season.
Cam Waters has also flagged his interest in a NASCAR future.
It’s not just drivers that are helping the cross pollination either, with Erebus Motorsport actively working with Richard Childress Racing.
There is an increased relevance in technology too with more similarities between the hardware in each series than ever before.
In fact, RCR has possession of a deregistered Supercar which it uses for road course practice for its NASCAR drivers.
According to Chris Payne, General Manager of Chevrolet Racing in Australia, the growing relationship between the two categories is an exciting development – and one with significant potential.
“The work that Shane did blazing the way with NASCAR has changed the relationship between NASCAR and Supercars going forward,” Payne told the KTM Summer Grill.
“When all of us were watching Shane heading towards victory at the Chicago street race last year, things were never going to be the same.
“The relationship between NASCAR and Supercars has been such where I think it will just grow, and grow, and grow in different areas. I believe that the viewership of Supercars broadcast online is enormous by the North American fan base.
“The exchange of drivers and wildcard appearances, all sorts of opportunities between those two series, is really exciting.
“There are all sorts of opportunities between GM North America and here in Australia to form a closer bond between NASCAR and Supercars.”
Those ties could be particularly important when it comes to the successor of the Camaro.
The iconic model will finish up its road going production this year, although both Supercars and NASCAR are committed to racing the body shape until the end of their 2025 seasons.
Payne wouldn’t be drawn on what model may replace the Camaro as Chevrolet’s race car in Supercars and NASCAR, but agreed that a joint approach between the Aussie and US brainpower makes sense.
“Our car will race through the 2025 season, and when we made the announcement about the end of production for the Camaro road car earlier in 2023, the statement that was made at that time was that this is not the end of the Camaro story,” he said.
“So we don’t have any information to release on that. We don’t talk about future road cars programs like we don’t talk about future race car programs.
“But we’re committed to the sport for the longer term, and your observation about there being a synergy going forward between Supercars and NASCAR in relation to closer work in respects to design work of the cars is very much on the cards.”
For more with Chris Payne watch the full episode of the KTM Summer Grill.
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