Image: Kevin Dejewski
7-time NASCAR Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson, 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller and 2010 F1 World Champion Jenson Button will comprise the NASCAR Garage 56 line up for this years 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The team, run by Hendrick Motorsports, will race in the experimental Garage 56 class, with a modified NASCAR next-gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The NASCAR version of the car runs in the NASCAR Cup Series, while the car that races at Le Mans in June will be modified, but “retaining the NASCAR DNA” according to driver Jimmie Johnson.
The project is a partnership between NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear. The entry is expected to be approved by the l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) in the coming weeks, before it enters the French endurance classic this summer.
Jim France, NASCAR chairman and CEO, said “Since the beginning of the Garage 56 project, it has been our goal to partner with the top racers in the world to represent us in Le Mans.”
He added: “The lineup of Jimmie, ‘Rocky’ and Jenson is everything we could have dreamed of – three elite drivers who have won at the highest levels of motorsports worldwide. As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of NASCAR, we are honored to have these world-class champions help bring the sights and sounds of a NASCAR race car to fans in Le Mans, and across the world.”
Johnson, meanwhile, said: “I’m super thrilled – it’s been at the top of my bucket list to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans someday.”
“To have this opportunity come – and to partner with everybody and this driver lineup – is truly an incredible opportunity and one that I am thankful to be a part of.”
Rockenfeller, who won Le Mans in 2010 with Audi: “It has been a great journey so far with the whole team and project. To be involved as a driver from day one until now was already a great honor, and to now have Jimmie and Jenson alongside me as teammates in Le Mans is unbelievable.”
Finally, Button, who raced at Le Mans in 2018 with SMP Racing: “As a lifelong racing fan, I have always dreamed of racing certain cars, with and against certain drivers and competing in certain events,” the former F1 driver said.
Keyword: Button, Rockenfeller, Johnson to race Garage 56 NASCAR at Le Mans