A NASCAR car is scheduled to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023. NASCAR, Team Hendrick Motorsports and the Le Mans organizer ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) announced this bold plan on Thursday at the sidelines of the season opener of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Sebring.
A modified version of the next-gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 car is to be used, which will be equipped with a hybrid drive, among other things. Participation should take place with a special permit from garage 56. Further details on the technology of the car or possible drivers have not yet been announced.
“From the early days of NASCAR, it was important to my father that we play a visible role in international motorsport, and there is no greater stage than the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Jim France, NASCAR CEO. “We look forward to showcasing the technology of the next-gen car and making a competitive contribution to this historic race.”
ACO makes it clear: Hybrid drive is a must!
At the Le Mans organizer ACO, France ran into open doors with this idea. “When Jim told me that NASCAR was going to have a new generation of cars with a hybrid system and that he had this crazy idea of starting a NASCAR in Garage 56 in 2023, I was immediately hooked,” says ACO- President Pierre Fillon.
Although the next-gen cars introduced this year are prepared for the installation of a hybrid system, this is not yet used in the Cup Series. In Le Mans, however, it will be a prerequisite for participation, as Fillon clarifies.
“It has to have a hybrid system,” says Fillon. “Garage 56 is for a car committed to innovative technology; it has to be something innovative.” In the past, 56 vehicles such as the DeltaWing or the Nissan ZEOD RC, which was the first car in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to drive a lap solely with an electric drive, had started from the garage.
NASCAR Master Maker Chad Knaus is set to lead the project
In addition to the installation of the hybrid system, the next-gen car will also be modified in a few other points. For example, NASCAR cars do not have headlights, and the tank system and safety standards also have to be adapted to the Le Mans specifications.
With Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR has brought the most successful team in the history of the Cup Series on board. The project is to be managed by Chad Knaus, who, as Hendrick’s crew chief, won seven championship titles in the NASCAR Cup together with Jimmie Johnson.
“It’s a privilege to compete in one of the truly iconic events in motoring and to represent NASCAR and Chevrolet on the world stage,” said team owner Rick Hendrick. “Jim deserves great credit for having the vision for this project and we thank him for putting our organization in charge”
“While Garage 56 is in a ‘class of its own’, we are competitors and intend to put a bold product on the track for fans at Le Mans. It’s an opportunity we humbly embrace – one that will be in the will be an exciting challenge over the next 15 months – but our team is ready,” assures Hendrick.