In 2010, NASCAR->ke3635 held a summit with representatives of Ford->ke31, Chevrolet->ke199, Dodge->ke28, and Toyota->ke88. They wanted to talk about returning brand identity to the cars on the track. You see, over the years, NASCAR race cars have strayed farther and farther from the appearance of the cars they are based on.

NASCAR originally appealed to manufacturers with a "Race on Sunday, sell on Monday" philosophy. But now when you tune-in to a Sprint Cup series race, you will basically see 43 of the same race car with vinyl stickers to let you know what car brand it is supposed to represent. NASCAR is now trying to change all that. They've relaxed some of their very strict rules for body design, allowing manufacturers to design the cars to look more like their road-going counterparts.

One car that has already released a rendering of it's new body is the 2013 NASCAR Dodge Charger->ke218. Thanks to the new, more lenient rules, this car looks awesome. With the signature Charger character lines on the side, this race car looks more like the street version than ever. Sam Hornish, Jr. got to test the new NASCAR Charger at a closed test earlier this year at the Homestead-Miami Speedway that was attended by all four manufacturers.

“The car looks the best out of any of the new cars, that’s for sure -- nice, sharp lines -- and you can see a lot of the street car in the race car." said Hornish "It brings the Charger’s identity back onto the racetrack.”

The 2013 NASCAR Dodge Charger will be unveiled March 11, 2012 in the Neon Garage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, just before the start of the Kobalt Tools 400. It will compete in its first Sprint Cup series race at next year's Daytona 500.

UPDATE 03/12/11: The Dodge Charger NASCAR race car was officially unveiled over the weekend. Check out all the photos of the car in the gallery below!

2013 Dodge Charger NASCAR

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  • Model: 2013 Dodge Charger NASCAR
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