Throughout its storied history, the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) has played host to a wide variety of quick and fast production-style cars in classes designed for close competition. Among the race cars making headlines each year are many Chevrolet-powered vehicles, and in 2023, Chevrolet Performance will be a major factor in NMCA once again.

The most obvious example of the Bowtie's involvement in the series can be found in the class known as Chevrolet Performance Stock presented by Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center, where GM factory-bodied cars from 1955 and up compete in heads-up competition. All participants must run the Chevrolet Performance DR525 crate engine* along with a factory Chevrolet Performance-sealed ECM and installation kit.

Last season, Haley Burkhammer claimed the series title in a new-for-2022 sixth-generation CRC (Camaro Rolling Chassis) Camaro built by her grandfather and 2021 class champion Ronnie Hackelton. Multi-time Chevrolet Performance Stock champion Glenn Pushis came home runner-up in the points, primarily behind the wheel of his own sixth-gen CRC Camaro. This year, the class returns at all six stops on the 2023 NMCA schedule.

In addition, the ProForm Rumble and LME Street King classes are designed for GM-powered cars and trucks. Street King is an index-style class for vehicles of any make or model utilizing a GM LS or LT power plant. It is for participants who desire to run quicker than 11-second elapsed times and transbrakes are permitted. Rumble meanwhile is open to the same engines and vehicles, but they must run slower than 10-second elapsed times. Electronics and transbrakes are prohibited.

A variety of Chevrolet models can also be found across multiple NMCA classes, ranging from VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod, to Micro Strategies Stock and Micro Strategies Super Stock Eliminator, to Holley EFI Factory Super Cars and more. Chevrolet Performance has a particularly vested interest in the Factory Super Cars category, where the brand's COPO Camaro competes heads-up against other supercharged factory muscle from the Big Three automakers.

The 2023 NMCA schedule kicks off in Florida with NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem at Orlando Speed World Dragway on March 16-19, then shifts to North Carolina for the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals at Rockingham Dragway on April 13-16. On May 4-7, the series visits the Midwest for the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.

After taking off the month of June, the NMRA/NMCA Power Festival is slated for July 20-23 at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. Next up is the NMCA All-American Nationals at Norwalk, Ohio's Summit Motorsports Park on August 24-27. The schedule then reaches its conclusion at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on September 21-24.

Among the highlights of the schedule are two Chevrolet-focused specialty events: the Chevrolet Performance LSX Shootout and the COPO Camaro Shootout.

The LSX Shootout was established in 2007 and will take place during the Super Bowl of Muscle Car Drag Racing at WWT Raceway. The event kicks off with an LSX racer party on Thursday and concludes with LSX Bowtie blocks awarded to the winners of Chevrolet Performance Stock, Street King, Rumble and the special Brian Tooley Racing LS Xtreme Street Shootout.

The LS Xtreme Street Shootout program is a special race within a race for the quickest LS- or LT-powered vehicles in NMCA's championship Xtreme Street category. Last year, Bill Trovato claimed the win in a fifth-gen Camaro over Tom Hammonds' 1969 Camaro model.

The COPO Camaro Shootout meanwhile was established in 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the iconic race car and will celebrate its fifth running this year during the All-American Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in late August.

During the event, COPO owners and racers are treated to a variety of special events, luncheons, raffles and giveaways, while the on-track action features both a COPO Battle index class and COPO N/A Heads-Up. Both programs are open to modern versions of the purpose-built race car along with vintage clones and originals.

In 2022, John Simbeck drove his 2019 COPO Camaro to the win over Ed Hawkins' 2013 model in COPO Battle, while Rich Rinke scored the victory in COPO N/A Heads-Up with a win in his 2022 COPO over John Evans' 2019 edition.

A big season is on tap for NMCA in 2023, and Chevrolet Performance power is once again set to be in the middle of it all.

Be sure to keep watching The BLOCK for much more on the National Muscle Car Association and all motorsports disciplines.

*Because of its effect on a vehicle's emissions performance, this engine is intended exclusively for use in competition vehicles. This engine is designed and intended for use in vehicles operated exclusively for competition: in racing or organized competition on courses separate from public roads, streets or highways. Installation or use of this engine on a vehicle operated on public roads, streets or highways is likely to violate U.S., Canadian, and state and provincial laws and regulations related to motor vehicle emissions.