2023 24 Hours of Le Mans just over six weeks left which means we’ll see soon Jimmie Johnson, Button JensonAnd Mike Rockefeller driving a NASCAR-inspired NASCAR-inspired Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The purpose of 56 . garage has always represented unique advancements in the automotive and racing fields, but for seven-time NASCAR champion Johnson, there was another goal in mind: Introducing European fans to the classic car scene of America.
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“I think [the NASCAR Garage 56 program] It will be an eye-opening experience for the motorsport community,” Johnson said when I asked him what he hopes the program will achieve internationally. “We have a real opportunity here to showcase the caliber of racing and our commitment to engineering and motorsport. We have a great opportunity to introduce American motorsport and bring it to France.”
Of course, stock racing is approved by NASCAR do exists in Europe in the form of the Whelen Euro Series, but Johnson was right to point directly to the enhancement of American competitiveness. It can be very easy for the international community to see the NASCAR Cup Series as a competition to see which stereotypical Southerner can best turn left, and that narrow-mindedness means the complexity of NASCAR’s race strategy and engineering can easily be discounted.
Then, bringing a NASCAR-inspired American muscle icon to France to run alongside sleek prototypes and GT machines, was the perfect opportunity for some of those technical cues to find admirers. on the world stage.
However, that effort seems like a lot of pressure; after all, the racing world’s eyes will be on Johnson, Button and Rockenfeller as they navigate all 8.5 miles of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Does that pressure affect them? Johnson doesn’t think so.
Johnson told Jalopnik: “We’ve managed it like all our racing career: we’re going out there to show at our highest level.
Due to the nature of the Garage 56 program, Chevy will essentially compete in a segment of its own. The car will not Actually are racing for a graded finish, as the whole point is simply to provide a place to showcase and test the technology. But that doesn’t mean Johnson will relax behind the wheel.
“We focus on all the necessary details, all the time, energy and effort. It’s like we’ve always done,” Johnson said. “We’re going there to win a race.”
