- This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will see a modified NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 stock car run in the Garage 56 entry designated for experimental race cars.
- The car, revealed today ahead of the Daytona 500, still packs a 5.8-liter V-8 engine, but adds a large fuel cell, upgraded brakes, and unique aerodynamics.
- The decorated driver lineup features Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button, and Mike Rockenfeller, and the team has already racked up over 3600 miles of testing.
NASCAR is going to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Wait, what?! Yep, you read that right—a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 stock car is taking on the grueling and iconic day-long race at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, this year. The NASCAR racer will run in the Garage 56 spot, an entry reserved for experimental vehicles, and the car was revealed today at Daytona International Speedway ahead of this weekend’s Daytona 500.
Since 2012, Garage 56 has included cars like the unorthodox, triangle-shaped DeltaWing and a modified LMP2 car piloted by two drivers who are paralyzed from the waist down. This year, however, the entry will be occupied by a muscular Cup Series–spec Camaro powered by a snarling 5.8-liter small-block V-8. The project is being run by Hendrick Motorsports, the most successful Cup Series team with 291 race victories to date.
The Garage 56 Camaro stays close to its roots, but several changes were required for 24-hour race duty. Functional headlights and taillights replace the imitation stickers normally plastered onto the stock car bodywork, and the team also fit a larger 32-gallon fuel cell and carbon brake discs. The car will ride on unique Goodyear Eagle tires, and will wear unique aerodynamic elements with a revised front splitter, dive planes on the front bumper, a new rear diffuser, and a special rear spoiler protruding out of the bodywork.
While a standard Cup car weighs 3200 pounds, the Garage 56 car has shaved that down to 2960 pounds and tacks on an extra two inches of length. The Le Mans–spec racer retains the front and rear double wishbone suspension with adjustable coil-over shocks.
Behind the wheel will be three top-notch drivers. Jimmie Johnson brings his vast experience in stock cars as a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, while two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller knows the track like the back of his hand. While he has never driven a stock car and only has one Le Mans start, 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button is no slouch, either.
The team has been testing the Garage 56 Camaro since last August, racking up over 3600 miles at Road Atlanta, Virginia International Raceway (where we run out annual Lightning Lap competition), Goodyear Proving Grounds, Carolina Motorsports Park, Sebring International Raceway, and Daytona International Speedway. The team will return to Sebring this Monday for an endurance test, and the team hopes to have its entry approved by the race’s regulatory body in the next few weeks. The 24 Hours of Le Mans will start on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
