Electric NASCAR set to debut at Busch Light Clash on Feb. 4
The first fully electric NASCAR will make its public debut during the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum event in Los Angeles on February 4th. And, yes — we know that it’s not called “a NASCAR,” but just go with it.
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR, natch) confirmed that it was working on an electric version of its tube-frames silhouette racers last year, but precious little is actually known about the car, or what series the car will eventually race in.
In fact, the only things we really do know about NASCAR’s electric race car are that:
- it’s electric
- it’s not really a “car”
An image of the electric NASCAR project car leaked late last year on the r/NASCAR subreddit (below) with rear fenders and a window line that looked an awful lot to some commenters like the Ford Mustang Mach-E crossover.
The electric NASCAR prototype car was reportedly subjected to more than 340 laps of half-mile oval action at a over three days at the half-mile short track in Martinsville, Virginia, with Sportsnaut reporting that David Ragan drove it to “within a few tenths” of the current Cup Series racecar, which is believed to share the same base chassis and suspension beneath the composite body shell. Despite that similarity, however, it’s important to note that this isn’t a vehicle that’s likely to have much of an actual racing career.
“This car is to be prepared for the future. We’re not sitting here today and announcing a bunch of cars for a racing series,” explains NASCAR Vice President of Vehicle Design Brandon Thomas.. “Think of this as a concept car.”
We’ll all know more about the new electric NASCAR racer when it makes its formal debut a week from Sunday.
Electrek’s Take
The next-gen car shown, above, isn’t electric. That said, we can learn a lot about how NASCAR presents forward-looking concepts by looking at that car, and applying those lessons to the electric crossover concept we expect to see next week.
For starters, the next-gen NASCAR concept features generic markings that don’t immediately suggest a Ford, Chevy, or Toyota vehicle. That’s important to avoid accusations of favoritism, but also important from a marketing perspective, as it allows other manufacturers the opportunity to project their own styling cues (in the form of headlight stickers and window cutouts) onto a generic shape and making it easier for them to draw a “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” type of correlation between a NASCAR entry and the models on their showroom floors. As the American market moves away from coupes and sedans, though, a crossover body shape might be a more attractive marketing prospect … and that, more than the electric drivetrain, is likely to be the real “concept” on display at the Clash.
If the public responds well to a body shape that could be stickered up to look like Mustang Mach-E, Chevy Blazer SS, or Toyota bZ4X, maybe it could also be made to look like a Chrysler Airflow, Kia EV6, or VW ID.4, too. And that may be the point.
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GM is recalling nearly 23,000 Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models due to a defect where the tire tread could fall off.
GM is recalling more Chevy Equinox EV models
In a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), GM said it has decided to issue a safety recall for certain Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models from model years 2025 to 2026.
This time, it isn’t necessarily GM’s fault. The vehicles may be equipped with 21″ all-season tires that Continental Tire is recalling.
According to Continental, the tires were produced during the week of October 6, 2024, and may have a defect where the tire tread could partially or fully detach. The records show the defect is due to a nonconforming tread base rubber compound.
Owners of affected vehicles may notice unusual tread wear or bulging, vibration while driving, or tire noises. GM is unaware of any incidents related to the defect, but is issuing the recall out of an abundance of caution.
On September 18, 2025, GM inspected the assembly plant and confirmed there were no suspect tires in stock. The 21″ tires come standard on RS trims and are optional on LT1 and LT2 grades.
Although GM is recalling 22,914 Chevy Equinox EVs and Cadillac Optiqs, it estimates that only about 1% of them have the defect.
The recall includes:
- 2026 Cadillac Optiq: 214
- 2026 Chevy Equinox EV: 1,832
- 2025 Cadillac Optiq: 3,468
- 2025 Chevy Equinox EV: 17,400
GM dealers will check all four tires and replace them if needed, free of charge. Dealers were notified on October 16. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed out on December 1, 2025.
You can contact Chevrolet’s customer service number at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac’s at 1-800-333-4223. GM’s recall number is N252525030. Owners can also call the NHTSA hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit the nhtsa.gov website for more information.
The Chevy Equinox EV is now the third best-selling EV in the US, trailing only the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s entry-level Optiq SUV is the fifth-most-popular luxury EV. The recall is minor and only affects a small percentage of models, so it’s not expected to have a major impact.
If you want to test one of them for yourself, we can help you get started. Check out our links below to find available Chevy Equinox EV and Cadillac Optiq models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss Tesla’s earnings madness, Rivian layoffs, Ford pausing F-150 Lightning, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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Some Tesla Cybertruck owners thought they were victims of vandalism, but it turned out that it was just a factory defect.
Earlier this year, amid Elon Musk’s controversial involvement in politics, there was a noticeable surge in vandalism against Tesla vehicles, particularly Cybertrucks.
Therefore, it’s not too surprising to see some owners worried that they were victims of vandalism when strange inscriptions appeared on their electric trucks.
Earlier this week, a Tesla Cybertruck owner posted on a Cybertruck Facebook group:
Any ideas how to remove a hydrochromic paint? Some person vandalized my truck. It only appears when wet.
The owner shared images of what he believed was invisible ink being used to vandalize his truck:
Several other owners chimed in and confirmed that they weren’t alone with this issue.
However, it is not vandalism. It’s a problem with Tesla’s protective film at the factory.
Another Cybertruck owner, Christian Maciel, had the same issue. He brought it to the Tesla service and shared the technician’s report.
The report mentioned “other owners report different initials (‘MPS’, ‘BLT’, ‘WC’)” showing up on the B pillar when wet – confirming that it is a widespread problem.
The culprit is an imprint from the factory protective film. Tesla wrote in the report:
Technician inspected the driver-side B-pillar and verified the presence of a persistent mark (‘BVT’) that appears when wet, confirmed as residue from factory protective film. The issue was caused by residue left after the removal of the factory’s protective film. Technician replaced the left-hand B-pillar applique to address the issue. The fix was validated by ensuring the mark no longer appears when the surface is wet.
They had to fully replace the part:
Tesla Cybertruck had about a dozen safety recall since going into production two years ago.
However, there are many more non-safety defects that led Tesla to conduct large-scale service of the Cybertruck.
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