Hendrick Motorsport’s Impala SS teams led the way for Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup series. Photo from wikipedia.org

Starting with the 2007 NASCAR “car of tomorrow” Impala, the combination of a Chevrolet Impala SS and the R07 small-block V8 engine were virtually unstoppable. The combination won the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in the first five years the union was teamed together.

Hendrick Motorsports took the championship from 2007 through 2010 with Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel. In 2011, veteran owner/driver Tony Stewart drove his Impala SS to a championship capping the run. The 2012 NASCAR season saw the end of the Impala nameplate in stock cars. Starting in 2013, Chevrolet drivers began driving the Chevrolet SS for the Sprint Cup series.

Tony Stewart won a Sprint Cup championship with the Impala SS. Photo from wikipedia.org

Chevrolet set a record in the first year of the Impala SS run with 26 wins in a 36 race season – a modern era record in NASCAR. The Impala SS aerodynamics differed greatly from the Monte Carlo SS that had been Chevrolet’s staple in NASCAR. The series specifications required the Impala SS to be wider and taller than the Monte Carlo SS which left the aerodynamic drag 10% greater than the previous model. In addition, the 2007 Impala was equipped with a wing instead of the traditional spoiler.

The change from a spoiler to a rear wing reduced turbulence in the wake of the car – this led to the two car “pack” racing where two cars running nose-to-tail experienced less turbulent air behind the first car alleviating some of the aerodynamic push experienced by the trailing car.

More details. Front view of Regan Smith’s Chevrolet Impala SS at Sonoma Raceway. Photo from wikipedia.org

NASCAR fans didn’t like the two car racing style which prompted the series to change the rules back to a traditional spoiler configuration starting in February of 2010. A redesigned front end in 2011 produced another undesired effect where three or four tandems of cars created a superdraft thereby breaking clear of the pack as they generated a substantial aero push effect where air was impeding cars behind the lead group from passing the leaders.

Despite the design configurations and changes, the Chevrolet Impala was still a dominant racecar in the series. Given its history, we’re not too certain that the Impala SS won’t be back in NASCAR sooner than anyone thinks.