CUP: Malibu Next For General Motors?

Sprint Cup

CUP: Malibu Next For General Motors?

General Motors currently races the Impala in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...

Tom Jensen | Posted February 27, 2011 Avondale, AZ

The Chevrolet Impala used in the Sprint Cup Series might be replaced by the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu in 2013. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

With the next generation of NASCAR Sprint Cup cars set to debut in 2013, General Motors executives continue to play their choice of models close to the vest.

GM currently runs the Chevrolet Impala in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, and has shied away from its sporty Camaro muscle car, even as Ford has switched to the Mustang, the Camaro’s direct competitor, in the Nationwide Series now. Ford executives said recently that they want to race the Mustang in the Sprint Cup Series starting in 2013.

Mark Kent, GM’s racing director, said Sunday morning that the automaker already has its 2013 Sprint Cup model picked out, but he declined to specify what it might be.

One choice might be the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu, which will be redesigned for the 2013 model year, at least in production-car versions. The next-generation Impala won’t debut until 2014.

“We’re working on that right now,” Kent said. “We have a model that we have in the 2013 portfolio that we think is the perfect fit for the NASCAR series, and that’s what we’re working towards — to take that production car and get as much relevance to the 2013 car as we can. And so far, NASCAR’s been a great partner for us. They realize that one thing fans want and manufacturers want is to get that relevance to the street car.”

Asked specifically what the new model would be, Kent said, “It’s in the Chevrolet portfolio. I can’t disclose what model it is.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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Tom Jensen

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