Famed car customizers West Coast Customs will transform a 2023 TRD Camry into a 23XI-inspired race car in just 24 hours while fans at Richmond Raceway watch.
The project is a passion of world-renowned customizer Ryan Friedlinghaus. It’s also more than a decade in the making. West Coast Customs, 23XI Racing and NASCAR will produce a street-legal vehicle that looks just like a NASCAR Next Gen race car.
Friedlinghaus said that they would prefer to do this type of a build in a week. Twenty-four hours is something of a challenge for his crew of nine, even with the help of students from the Henrico County CTE program.
These students are training in disciplines ranging from electrical work to body shop. They’ll get to see how their training applies to the real world. They’ll also have the rare opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced customizers in the country.
West Coast Customs’ Customizations
Much of the modifications to the car are cosmetic, but Friedlinghaus’ team also had to do a signficant amount of engineering.
For example, they had to re-route the exhaust to exit on the side of the car. Friedlinghaus said figuring out how to make that happen was the moment he realized his dream was really coming true.
The aspect of the modifications that impresses me the most are the single-hub wheels. They manufactured a five-hole plate that fits over the five standard lug nuts and holds the single hub.
The wheel — which looks exactly like a Next Gen wheel — then fits over the single lug and is held on by a lock nut.
The group assures me that the car comes with a lug wrench so that. If the driver suffers a flat, there won’t be any problem changing it — without needing the help of a pit crew.
The NASCAR Foundation will determine the eventual owner through an auction. All proceeds will go to the NASCAR Foundation. If you’re here at Richmond, trundle over to the NASCAR experience and watch. They’ll be working from 9 a.m. Saturday morning until they’re finished.
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