Ex-DTM driver Mike Rockenfeller will receive the coveted NASCAR cockpit for the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. He will share the car with Jimmie Johnson and a Formula 1 icon.
NASCAR has announced its driver trio for the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. Together with numerous partners of the American racing series, Hendrick Motorsports will use a next-gen Chevrolet specially developed for the long-distance classic in the Garage 56.
Development driver Mike Rockenfeller, who was involved in the project from the start, was awarded the contract and is part of the squad.
Like the former DTM champion and 24h Le Mans winner, his teammates are big names in racing: seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and former Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button are also there and will be NASCAR at their represent the first start at Le Mans since 1976 and drive the Chevrolet, which will start outside the classification.
Rockenfeller competed in two NASCAR circuit races for Spire in 2022 to familiarize himself with the series and the car. The Le Mans winner is also a development driver in NASCAR’s Garage 56 project and helped develop the Chevrolet to adapt it to the Sarthe race track. Even during the development phase, the German hoped to be selected for the Le Mans cockpit.
Concentrated motorsport experience for Le Mans
“It’s been a great journey so far with the entire team and the project,” says Rockenfeller. “Being a driver from day one has been an honor and now to have Jimmie and Jenson by my side as teammates at Le Mans is incredible.”
In the modern era there is no better NASCAR driver than Johnson, who, like legends Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr., has won a total of seven titles. Johnson recently joined Petty-GMS as a partner – the team has been renamed the Legacy Motor Club. The American also has IMSA experience in endurance racing and has contested two IndyCar seasons.
“I’m super excited – it was high on my wish list to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day,” says Johnson. “To be given this opportunity to work with this team and this driver line-up is truly an incredible opportunity and I am grateful to be a part of it.”
Ex-Formula 1 star Jenson Button completes the squad
Third in the group is Button, who surprisingly won the Formula 1 title in 2009 with Brawn GP. The Brit is currently active as a team boss in Extreme E and took part in the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans with SMP. His best result in the Endurance World Championship (WEC) was a third place at the 2018 Shanghai race.
“As a lifelong motorsports fan, I’ve always dreamed of driving certain cars, competing with and against certain drivers and competing in certain events,” said Button. “In June, some of those dreams will come true as I, along with my buddies Jimmie and ‘Rocky’, bring NASCAR onto the world stage for the 100th anniversary of the world’s most prestigious race.”
Garage 56 is reserved for vehicles with an innovative spirit and forward-thinking technology, which is why NASCAR is expected to launch a hybrid at Le Mans. However, details about the next-gen Chevrolet are not yet known as the car is still under development. The 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours will take place on June 10th and 11th.