Chevrolet Monte Carlo - NASCAR

NASCAR

From 1972 until the cars end of production, the Monte Carlo was a solid success in NASCAR racing. The big (1973–1977) bodied cars were the dominant body style through the years until 1980, when NASCAR mandated the move to the smaller (110-inch-wheelbase) cars being built by Detroit. The 1981 and 82 stock (referred to as the "flat-nose") Monte Carlo was raced by very few teams and as such only won three races in those years. Starting in 1983 with the addition of the SS nose, the Monte Carlo SS became the dominant body style in NASCAR through the rest of the decade when the car went out of production. The car came back to racing in 1995 when Chevy brought the car back into production and it sparked a mild bit of controversy as NASCAR allowed the car to have wider rear fenders, and as such deviated from factory sheetmetal, that up until that time the race spec cars had to use. The car brought Chevy repeated NASCAR Manufacturers Cup awards until it again was discontinued from production, and was replaced by the Impala for racing.