“I think it's one of the most important moves that
NASCAR and the manufacturers have made in a very long time" said Richard Childress Racing's Kevin Harvick. "I think from a manufacturer's standpoint it's probably the most important move that has happened in I don't even know how long, but a really long time."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. dubbed it "an incredibly good-looking race car," and added: "It looks like it's ready to go fast; it looks like it's going to be competitive, and it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun to drive. It looks like something Chevrolet should be proud of."
“The new SS looks awesome," agreed the 2011 Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. "That's the great thing – it's back to looking like a production car again. It's a design that I really like. It's got the perfect blend of having a race car look, but a street car look at the same time."
“I think it looks amazing," contributed Juan Montoya. ""I did the photo shoot already with the car, the race car looks amazing. It looks great. I think it has a lot of personality."
Ford unveiled its 2013 Cup car based on a new Fusion production model at the start of the year, and Toyota revealed its 2013 Sprint Cup Camry in North Carolina in May.
Chrysler's Dodge brand also announced plans for a 2013 Cup car, but this was superseded by the manufacturer parting ways with Penske Racing which left it without a flagship partner in Sprint Cup in 2013. Ironically, Penske and Dodge ended up winning the Cup championship with Brad Keselowski in the manufacturers' final outing in
NASCAR at Homestead-Miami.