Chevrolet unveiled its 2013 Nationwide Series entry: the Camaro SS. The car will make its debut in February at Daytona International Speedway.

It will compete against the Dodge Challenger and the Ford Mustang in the series.

The car has not been on track, it was completely designed based on mathematical calculations of aerodynamic targets using computer assisted design.

Jim Campbell, vice president, Chevrolet Performance Vehicles and Motorsports said:

Chevrolet is proud to bring the Camaro to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013. The Camaro Nationwide race car incorporates many of the distinctive styling elements of the production Camaro, including the unique power-bulge hood and deep recessed grille. In addition, the design incorporates the distinctive halo light rings and dual-port grille appearances, and the gold bowtie.

Pat Suhy, of the Chevrolet Racing Oval Track Group, added:

Our team of Chevrolet designers and aerodynamic engineers did a fantastic job capturing the great looks and styling cues of the production Camaro, while providing our NASCAR Nationwide teams with a highly competitive aero platform. For the remainder of 2012, our engineers will be busy working with our Chevy teams on wind tunnel and on-track testing to fine-tune the car in preparation for next year. It will be great to see Camaro compete on the track against its showroom competition starting with the 2013 season opener at Daytona.

Chevy is also working on a new model for the Sprint Cup Series that will be branded the SS. No word has been given as to when that vehicle will be unveiled.

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Roush Fenway Racing

Jack Roush said in a press release:

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has more than proved his abilities on the race track.  We feel that he is not only a key piece of our team’s future, but a key piece of the future of the sport.  Roush Fenway is an organization with a wonderful past and present, as well as an extremely promising future, and I can’t think of a better candidate than Ricky to usher in the next era of success for the team.

He added:

Of course, I’d like to thank Matt Kenseth for his many years of loyal service. Matt has been an integral part of this organization for well over a decade, and we are extremely appreciative of his accomplishments and contributions to the team, and will always consider him a part of the Roush Fenway family.

There has been no word on where Kenseth will end up by ESPN speculated that Kenseth could be headed to Joe Gibbs Racing, which could elect not to re-sign Joey Logano, or could start a fourth team for Kenseth, or he could be headed to Penske Racing, which is switching from Dodge to Ford in 2013. 

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Garen Nicoghosian, the Ford design manager in charge of the NASCAR project, said:

We had an opportunity to add more personality and detail to the race car. We took advantage of this opportunity and sculpted a more aggressive front end and we added grille bars that are identical in design to the production car. We also added more detail to the fog light housings, and created a more detailed headlight area as well. In addition, we also sculpted a more aggressive hood, and were able to achieve a closer look to the production car. Our race car is even closer in design to the production car now, and we are very pleased with the results.

Ford unveiled its 2013 Sprint Cup Fusion in January. Since then, Dodge and Toyota have each unveiled their designs. Chevy, which is switching from the Impala to the SS — a completely new model (thought it will be based off of the Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8 according to rumors), has yet to unveil their entry.

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JGR President JD Gibbs said that the team working on a deal that would keep them with Toyota “for a long time to come.”

Dodge is looking for a team to anchor its program after Penske Racing, the only major team that currently fields Dodges in the Sprint Cup Series, decided to switch to Ford next season.

JGR’s contract with Toyota is up at the end of the season, making them a target for Dodge. Dodge has also approached Richard Petty Motorsports, as it searches for a program to replace Penske.

In related news, Toyota plans to unveil its 2013 Sprint Cup Camry on May 22nd at Toyota Racing Development in North Carolina.

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The design features of the street model have been incorporated into the Cup model.

Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of SRT Brand and Motorsports said:

From the start, it’s been a collaborative effort with NASCAR.  NASCAR provided the manufacturers with basic specifications, but offered encouragement to venture beyond the look of the current race car.  Our design and engineering group, working with Penske Racing, seized the opportunity.  We had a fantastic benchmark – the Dodge Challenger – introduced in 2009.  This endeavor goes beyond the trend the Nationwide Series Challenger started with a Dodge Charger that amazingly embodies many of the design features of the street version into the race car.  We’re extremely proud that the Dodge Charger street car is the only rear-wheel-drive model in Sprint Cup competition that is available with a V-8 engine.

As part of the 2013 rules package governing Cup cars, NASCAR eased the rules on where  manufacturers were allowed to put glass and solid body parts. NASCAR also eased rules on the front and the rear of the cars, allowing manufactures to make the nose and rear of the car look more like the production model. The sides now allow character lines that come from the street models.

NASCAR President Mike Helton said:

We know NASCAR fans are passionate about cars. We’re excited about the results of the collective efforts of NASCAR, Dodge and the other manufacturers to create the 2013 Sprint Cup cars.  The 2013 Dodge Charger race car design is a great example of what we look forward to seeing on the race track next season.  We thank Dodge and all the manufacturers for their efforts, as we see the results here today with the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Dodge Charger.

The unveiling comes on the heels of an announcement by Penske Racing that the team — the only powerhouse team that fields Dodge chargers — would switch from Dodge to Ford in 2013. This leaves Robby Gordon Motorsports as the only team that currently fields Dodges.  Richard Petty Motorsports indicated that they were approached by Dodge to run the 2013 Charger.

Dodge is set to unveil its 2013 Dodge Charger for use in the Sprint Cup Series on March 11th. The problem is that with Penske’s decision, no big teams will field Dodges next season. Robby Gordon Motorsports is the only team that fields Dodges besides Penske.

Murstein said:

We received calls from several manufacturers today asking if they could meet with us. It seems that while sponsorship is down, car manufacturer support is strong. That is probably due to the fact that the car companies are all doing significantly better these days than a few years ago. Thus Petty has been approached by several manufacturers recently.

Back in 2001, Petty Enterprises fielded Dodges for John Andretti. They switched from Pontiacs when Dodge returned to Sprint Cup competition. The team fielded Dodges until the end of 2008, when the team merged with Gillett Evernham Motorsports and became RPM. Less than a year later, RPM merged with Yates Racing and began fielding Fords. Their contract with Ford is up at season’s end.

Murstein also dropped one more interesting tidbit:

What’s interesting is that  while there are the usual suspects there is one new manufacturer that is trying to break into the sport.

Honda has been rumored to be considering breaking into NASCAR, though there is nothing to indicate any truth to that rumor.

Penske switched from Fords to Dodges in 2003, after Dodge returned to the sport. That year, Ryan Newman won eight races in a Penske Dodge. He went on to win three more times in Dodges, while his teammate Rusty Wallace won once in a Penske Dodge in 2004. Kurt Busch won 10 times in Penske Dodges, while Keselowski has won three times. 

If this news is confirmed, Robby Gordon Motorsports would be the only team fielding Dodges in the Sprint Cup Series. Derricke Cope was rumored to be starting a team that would field Dodges, but nothing concrete has come through.

This news comes 10 days before Dodge planned to unveil their 2013 Dodge Charger for use in Cup competition.

Update: Penske confirmed the news with an announcement.

Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas said:

This is an historic day for our racing program, and we are thrilled to see another member of the extended Ford family coming back. Working together with Penske Racing gives Ford another championship-level program, and we are excited to take our racing program to all-new levels.

Roger Penske added:

We look forward to joining the Ford Racing NASCAR program beginning in 2013. We appreciate the long-term commitment that Ford has made to Penske Racing and for their continued support of the sport.

Coinciding with the release of the movie, Dodge unveiled the  No.7 Fast Five Dodge Charger R/T, which will debut in this weekend’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Robby Gordon will pilot the car this weekend, and throughout the month at Texas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Richmond International Raceway.

Team owner Robby Gordon said:

I’m excited to be associated with a manufacturer again. I like the things that Dodge has been doing to build brand awareness. They have an impressive factory and facility, and their product line is top notch. I’ve really enjoyed putting this deal together with [Dodge president and CEO] Ralph Gilles and [Dodge Motorsports manager] Bryan Viger; they are a fun, youthful, forward-thinking group. I’ve worked with Dodge in the past and have always had a great relationship with Dodge corporate.

 Gilles added:

We’re excited Robby will be joining the Dodge Motorsports program in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2011. We like the competitive flair and skill he brings to the track. Robby’s driving style mirrors the performance attitude of the rejuvenated Dodge brand, so he’s a welcome addition to our team. We believe you don’t need a certain number of cars to be successful in racing. The key is having the right combination of teams, drivers and technology. We already have a strong foundation with Penske Racing and the Dodge engineering team can easily support another Sprint Cup Series team. Our technical support will be a valuable asset for Robby Gordon Motorsports.