Maybe there’s a simple answer for this that I’m missing, but is there something about the size/weight/power ratio or something that disqualifies Corvettes from NASCAR competition?
As I understand it all NASCAR entries must fit the same body type template. A Corvette would not fit this shape.
NASCAR cars are not actually stock cars. The cars they use are effectively unique to NASCAR.
You can see Corvettes racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this coming weekend or at American Le Mans Series events domestically.
Historically stock car racing in American was based on “family sedan” models of cars, not “sports cars” like the Corvette. The main difference roughly being the fact that “sports cars” generally lacked a back seat. Stock car and sports car racing in America evolved along different paths. Of course, nowadays, NASCAR has codified the body type of its cars very strictly into the current form, but even in the old days, “sports cars” never competed in NASCAR, they had their own racing organizations.
To elaborate, stock car racing evolved from early speed contests between moonshine runners. * For running 'shine the car needed to look “stock” but be anything but. It shouldn’t look fast or flashy, or otherwise attract attention of revenue agents. It needed a big back seat area to haul the goods. Putting a lot of weight behind the rear wheels in the trunk had an adverse effect on handling.
*The degree to which this is true is sometimes disputed, but there is a large kernal of truth there.
Thanks for the replies!