Holden Commodore unveiled as Nascar

That's the incredible significance of the unveiling of the upcoming VF Commodore as the Chevrolet SS in Las Vegas this morning.

The SS will be Chevrolet's frontline race weapon in the NASCAR oval-track racing series and will also become a showroom car in the third quarter of next year with the potential to build an export business that's way bigger than Holden managed in the days when it was exporting the Pontiac G8 to the USA.

This time around, around 3000 Chevrolet dealers - who operate under the slogan 'Heartbeat of America' - will be selling the SS as the brand's V8-powered performance flagship. "The new SS won't be mistaken for any other car. It bears a striking resemblance to the road car," says Mark Reuss, formerly chairman of Holden and now president of GM North America, at the unveiling of the Nascar racer.

"We've putting the stock back in stock car racing." Reuss warns against reading too much into the appearance of the SS racer and its impact on the upcoming VF Holden, but confirms that the shape of the race car - especially its wildly flared guards, bulging bonnet and sculpted sides - will be reflected in the SS.

The Holden name was only used once in the press preview of the SS in Las Vegas but its importance is not lost on former NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, who has raced in Australia three times since the 1990s in dirt-track cars. "How do I feel about racing a Holden? Real good," Stewart tells Carsguide.

"I've been a fan of the brand since I first raced in Australia in 1995. I'm going to have one of these as a road car, real soon." The Chevrolet SS road car will be revealed in February at Daytona in the lead-up to the start of the 2013 NASCAR season, two months before the expected on-sale date of the VF Commodore in Australia.