Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, said:

As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale. The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage its global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends beyond the track. I am personally looking forward to driving it.

Chevy announced in March that it would not use the Impala in the Cup series, instead opting to develop a new model for Cup competition.

While spokesman Monte Doran said at that time that the new model wouldn’t be derived from an existing model, the SS is said to be based on the Holden Commodore, which was also known as the Pontiac G8.

GM Holden’s Executive Director of Engineering Greg Tyus said:

Holden has a great track record of producing performance cars for GM and the world. We were responsible for the design and engineering of the Chevrolet Camaro, VE Commodore was sold as the Pontiac G8 and we are currently exporting the Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle – so we understand the needs of the North American market.

The Holden Caprice was also said to be a candidate.

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In GM’s most recent viability plan, Pontiac was not named as one of GM’s core brands, which are Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. The brand also wasn’t listed among those that would be killed or sold — Saturn, Saab, and Hummer.

Instead, the brand was supposed to focus on a small number of models. Now, it appears, the brand will disappear.

In 2004, the brand pulled out of NASCAR for good. In its final season, only five teams were using Pontiacs, and Ricky Craven was the only driver to win a race in a Pontiac during its final year.

At the time GM officials said that the brand was leaving NASCAR so that GM could focus its support on the Chevy racing program.