NASCAR is making a bid to occupy the 56th garage stall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023. The plan is to bring the latest NASCAR Cup car, a properly prepped Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the historic endurance contest, marking a return of sorts for NASCAR. Big Bill France first brought stock cars to The Sarthe Circuit at Le Mans just about half a century ago; this entry, if accepted, would be a collaboration between NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet, IMSA and Goodyear. Technical details and the team’s selected drivers will be announced at a later date.
“From the early days of NASCAR, it was important to my father that we played a visible role in internationals motorsports, and there is no bigger stage than the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Jim France, NASCAR chairman and CEO recognizes. “In partnering with Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, we have the winningest team, manufacturer and tire in NASCAR history. We look forward to showcasing the technology in the Next Gen car and putting forward a competitive entry in the historic race.”
Hendrick Motorsports, which is the all-time leader in NASCAR Cup Series championships, in points-paying race victories and laps led, is coming off its second consecutive Cup Series title and has won two of the four races held to date in 2022. The Cup Series’ visit to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend marks the fifth points-paying race of the 2022 season. Hendrick Motorsports has chosen seven-time champion crew chief Chad Knaus to serve as its Garage 56 program manager.
The first stock cars to come to Le Mans traveled the Atlantic Ocean in June of 1976, after Bill France worked an agreement with the Le Mans race organizers, Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) for two NASCAR stock cars, a Dodge Charger owned and driven by Hershel McGriff and a Junie Donlavey-owned Ford Torino driven by both Richard Brooks and Dick Hutcherson, to compete in a new Grand International class.
Just because they’ve applied for 2023 Garage 56 status, introduced in 2012 as a special single-entry class reserved for innovative cars, doesn’t mean the NASCAR entry will be accepted. “Garage 56 is a special opportunity at Le Mans, since this race has been a leader in technological process for the auto industry over its nearly century-long existence,” notes Pierre Fillon, ACO president. “When the ACO receives an application for a Garage 56 program, we begin by talking with designers, team partners and suppliers, in order to set performance parameters such that the program can be successful for everyone involved. We will continue to work with NASCAR and all their partners as they work toward their proposed 2023 Garage 56 project.”
Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports realizes the significance of this entry. “Participating in one of the truly iconic events in auto racing and representing NASCAR and Chevrolet on the world stage is a privilege,” he says. Crediting Jim France with the “vision for the project and France’s trust in the Hendrick organization to properly prep a ZL1 to compete on the nearly 8.5-mile road course, Hendrick’s immediate thought is humility. “It’s a humbling opportunity – one that will present an exciting challenge over the next 15 months. Our team is ready!”
Chevrolet’s vice president of Chevrolet Performance and Motorsports, Jim Campbell is excited about the prospect of a Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series car on The Sarthe circuit. “Chevrolet is looking forward to being a key partner with NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and Goodyear in this historic Garage 56 effort,” he says. “While many know us as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR, we also have had great success with our Corvette Racing program at Le Mans.” Corvette Racing has earned eight class wins in 21 starts since 2000. “We love to compete and we can’t wait to get started on this program,” Campbell says.
Although Goodyear has produced tires for NASCAR for more than 60 years, it hasn’t been as active in sports car racing. While the Akron-based company does have a presence at Le Mans on LMP2 prototype cars, “Being involved in this historic race as part of the Garage 56 entry is yet another demonstration of our commitment to advancing racing tire technology,” according to Stu Great, Goodyear’s general manager of Global Race Tires.
The key to this project will be transforming the Cup car into an endurance machine. The technical alliance between Hendrick Motorsports and IMSA stalwarts Action Express Racing, which is owned by Jim France, run by Bob Johnson and former NASCAR crew chief Gary Nelson, together with engineer Iain Watt is key to their upcoming success. Action Express’ proficiency in developing the Cadillac DPi prototype in IMSA’s WeatherTech Sportscar Championship will definitely aid the Hendrick team in making the Cup car into a dependable endurance machine.
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