At 24 Hours of Le Mans, NASCAR Is Out of Its Element
The New York Times A modified Camaro ZL1, with a big V8, will be the Garage 56 entry this year.
When the possibility of a NASCAR Cup Series car competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race was first discussed two years ago, there was some surprise.
I talked to a few people, traditional sports-car folks and traditional racing folks, and when I told them about the project, they were scratching their head like, Youre going to do what? John Doonan, president of the International Motor Sports Association, said in an interview.
Doonan is also the project leader of NASCARs return to Le Mans 47 years after the series was last involved, when a Dodge Charger and a Ford Torino failed to finish the race
Chevrolet, a two-time winner in the GTE Pro class, is supplying the car, a Camaro ZL1 run by Hendrick Motorsports of North Carolina that is the Garage 56 entry for Le Mans, which celebrates its centenary this year.
Since 2012, the Automobile Club de lOuest, the organizer of the race, has reserved Garage 56 for concept cars and projects that are not part of the official competition and dont need to comply with the technical regulations.
