For the first time in the Daytona 500’s history, an electric vehicle will lead the race cars to the green flag. 

The Chevy Blazer EV SS will lead the field of roaring, gas-powered machines on Sunday for the start of the 67th Daytona 500. While Chevy is touting the chance for customers to watch its EV, NASCAR fans are accusing the organization of going “woke.”

The Blazer that will be on display Sunday boasts 615 horsepower, and Chevy says its zero-to-60 mph time is 3.4 seconds. 

The vice president of Chevrolet, Scott Bell, said, “Chevrolet has a long history with racing — it’s in our DNA – and the Blazer EV SS is a testament to that.”

“We’re excited for customers to watch the Blazer EV SS — the quickest SS we’ve ever produced — pace such an iconic race this weekend,” he added. 

Meanwhile, the president of Daytona International Speedway, Frank Kelleher, said, “We’re honored to have Chevrolet as a founding partner of Daytona International Speedway and that the iconic brand chose to feature the all-new Blazer EV SS.”

A sports columnist for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Ken Willis, said in a column that racing fans who are still having a hard time accepting that Japanese-made cars are competing in the “The Great American Race” are likely not going to be thrilled with the EV pace car.

“Um … EV? Doesn’t that E stand for something not normally associated with big and bad American speedway muscle?” he wrote.

He said that Chevy had a deal to provide the pace car, and it likely chose the Blazer to promote it “heavily” as EV demand wanes in America. 

One user on X responded to the news of the Blazer EV SS serving as the pace car, writing, “Good lord. Nascar choking on the woke agenda. First Captain anti America and then an electric car that’s not a Tesla Truck. Shooting themselves in the face. And I’m here in Daytona camping…so disappointing.”

Another person asked, “What has happened to the Daytona 500?”

Meanwhile, others, such as one user who goes by Zack and has a podcast called “The Gay Racing Podcast,” asked why Chevy decided to go with an electric SUV for the pace car instead of a different model like its electric Corvette. 

As racing and automobile enthusiasts questioned Chevy’s business decisions, the vice president of GM Performance & Motorsports, Jim Campbell, told the Detroit News, “Our Chevrolet V-8 engines continue to be an important part of NASCAR. Racing has always been an important platform for Chevrolet to test, learn, and explore new technologies.”

Chevy is also expected to debut its Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype car at the race on Sunday as well.