Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56 Camaro ZL1
WARNING: This blog post has some spoiler data regarding the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans! If you do not want to know about the results of this car skip the section called "Racing Summary" later in this blog post. You have been warned.
Before I get into the details of this car, I must explain something.
The "Garage 56" namesake relates to a specific garage at Circuit de la Sarthe designated to an experimental vehicle. These are for any vehicles that are outside of the regulations of the original classes that race Le Mans. The last such experimental car at Le Mans was the funky Deltawing race car. Leave it to one of the most successful and most powerful racing teams in NASCAR to entertain the thought of challenging the 24 Hours of Le Mans not with a prototype or GT car, but... with a stock car. Two words:
Challenge accepted.
For 2023, Hendrick Motorsports built themselves a stock car that can take on Le Mans. They would be the latest entry to take advantage of Garage 56. They knew a basic stock car in its basic form probably wouldn't stand much of a chance at Le Mans. So to that end, they engineered the Camaro ZL1 stock car to be able to handle the rigors of Circuit de la Sarthe and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Prior to something like this, I seen stock cars that had lights affixed to them to see in dark conditions. Namely in the 2002 24 Hours of Daytona, I saw a Trans-Am car fitted with some lights. When the former IROC series raced around the Daytona International Speedway road course, all of the Pontiac Firebird/Trans-Am cars were had lights fitted to them for racing at night. This Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 is RADICALLY different from those two cars I mentioned just now.
While it may seem new for a stock car to race around Circuit de la Sarthe, it really is not anything new. There were efforts around 1976 for stock cars to race against some world-class drivers and against world-class manufacturers and race teams. The best a stock car lasted in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was about 11 hours. Considering that past stock cars have failed to finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans, what makes anyone think a modern effort would succeed in today's landscape of GT/Sportscar/Endurance racing? Well, if you have followed NASCAR and all of the evolution of technology and engineering stock cars, the newer Generation-7 (or Gen-7) is engineered in such an sophisticated way that this new effort by NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports served as a unique challenge to help further develop stock cars but also take on what may seem like NASCAR is engaging in a battle NASCAR knows it can't win. If NASCAR and/or Hendrick Motorsports fielded a completely stock Camaro ZL1, it would get eviscerated by the more sophisticated cars and sophisticated drivers. Anyone who knows stock car racing knows that "stock" does not mean *stock." Stock cars are not the "race on Sunday, sell on Monday" type of cars, as these stock cars are pure purpose-built racing machines boasting the silhouette of the cars they represent. For instance, have you seen Toyota offer their Camry with a V8 engine north of 800hp? I rest my case.
Among some of the changes to a basic stock car, the most obvious difference between this and a basic stock car are the inclusion of lights. A bevy of LED-type lights light the way from the headlights and from the lower lights. The car also includes functioning brake lights. The car weighs just over 400 lbs. (more than 181.44 kg) less than an average 3480 lbs. (approx. 1548.53 kg.) stock car. The car has the same style NASCAR V8 but mated to a five-speed manual transmission with paddle shifters. It also had its regular brakes replaced with carbon fiber brakes. Winglets were added to the car to help aid in aerodynamics. In case of rain, the car has rain racing tires as well as a windshield wiper to battle in the rain. Despite all of its sophistication, the Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 still has the familiar stock car elements of having no functioning doors (just go through the driver's side window to get in), the window net, and the lip spoiler. Overall, the car is beautiful and a real vision of what a sophisticated stock car could be like. It even includes a lovely blue/silver/gold livery baring the logos of NASCAR and Chevrolet.
The 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans effort included the three-driver team of Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button, and Mike Rockenfeller. This is a championship-winning trio that includes championships in NASCAR, Formula 1, and DTM. This was going to be a different experience to pilot a stock car around a track like Circuit de la Sarthe.
Testing.
Hendrick Motorsports went through some 3600 miles (or approx. 5793.37 km) of testing to try to shake down this race car for Le Mans. This included basic tests of the car's aerodynamics and handling character. Other tests includes wet weather testing and tire testing.It was then off to Le Mans, France in the Pays de la Loire part of France for all of the practice work. As I saw the different practice videos, you could hear the familiar roar of a NASCAR V8 as it reverberated around the Bugatti Circuit and the public roads around Le Mans. I was even entertained seeing an actual stock car race around a track with its own lighting. The Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 stock car was reportedly as fast as a lot of the GTE AM field but obviously slower than the LMP2 class. As it got its practice work in, it was time to race. Let's get it!
Racing Summary.
It's show time! It was time for the Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 to go to work. Once NBA superstar LeBron James waved the tricolor du France, it was time for the Johnson/Button/Rockenfeller trio to work their magic in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. The headlines for this race were primarily on the debuting Hypercar class of racing. Despite this, the G56 Camaro ZL1 tried to last the whole 24 Hours. This car was met with lots of fanfare and adoration from racing fans. The early stages of Le Mans was met with a lot of Slow Zones for crashes and even some rainy conditions and wet roads. The G56 Camaro ZL1 held its own despite the brutal conditions early on. With the pit stops, the team even took on NASCAR-style pit stops. Only difference is that there were drivers who had to climb in and out of the car during pit stops. Remember- this car has no functioning doors! The only real problems I heard this car had were either some transmission issues or some brake issues. Otherwise, this car did what one of the past stock car efforts couldn't accomplish- lasting longer than 11 hours. The team drove commendably and masterfully all race long. Most of all, the Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 completed the entire race, finishing 39th overall out of just over 60 entries.
Final thoughts on this car and this Le Mans 2023 effort are next.
Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56 Camaro ZL1: Final Thoughts
Hendrick Motorsports has done a commendable and admirable job racing the 24 Hours of Le Mans with this stock car effort. Even as some people put together as many memes about it and thrown around as many jokes about seeing this car race the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this car still performed as competitively as nearly any other driver or team in this field. The 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans was an amazing race as it was. It was even more amazing considering what Hendrick Motorsports was able to accomplish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
I would say that this effort by Hendrick Motorsports possibly have inspired people about NASCAR and possibly even get some exposure about NASCAR. It also helped to gain some knowledge in further developing NASCAR stock cars to be even more capable than they are now. Taking on a challenge like this seems odd to some people. Did NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports had to take on this challenge of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a stock car? No. Did they want to take on this challenge? Absolutely. The fact people gave this car so much attention is awesome in its own right. It speaks to the level of respect for this car and this effort to manifest such a racing effort. Even for a race car not suited for taking on the rigors of road racing and endurance racing on a usual level, the G56 Camaro ZL1 did an amazing job. All of the engineering, testing, and actual racing paid off in this car running the entire 24-hour distance. One would be surprised at just how well this car handled racing around a track like the Circuit de la Sarthe. NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports should be applauded for their valiant and noble efforts putting forth this sort of effort and execution.
As I was praising this race car on social media, I saw some people say this Garage 56 Camaro ZL1 possibly could be the new road racing package for NASCAR road racing events or even spark a new class for IMSA sportscar racing. This car and this Le Mans effort opened a lot of eyes and impress many a racing fan. Even if you don't care one iota about NASCAR or stock car racing, you have to at least "give this car its flowers." I know a lot of people regard something like Formula 1 or sportscar racing higher than NASCAR, but even a motorsports enthusiast like myself can appreciate and admire what this powerful NASCAR racing team did in one of the most unusual, most unlikely challenges for stock car racing. This was an amazing story to follow even if this effort will be a one-time only deal for a stock car to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. If this Garage 56 effort is a "one-hit wonder," it surely provided an incredible hit that will not be forgotten for a long while.
Congratulations to Hendrick Motorsports on an incredible effort! Bless all of you on an amazingly awesome effort at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans!
Video Insight and More Information.
Finally to end this post, allow me to post this video showcasing the culmination of what I've discussed in this entire blog post. Check it:^ Year in review: Garage 56, NASCAR to Le Mans
For more information about Hendrick Motorsports and this Garage 56 effort, visit: Hendrick Motorsports (all Garage 56 articles)
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