This year’s Le Mans 24 Hour race will include an entry featuring two motor racing champions, with 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button teaming up with seven-time NASCAR Cup winner Jimmie Johnson.
The pair will join 2010 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller in the line-up for the Garage 56 entry in this year’s centennial running of the iconic race.
“It’s really special to be here,” Button said. “I’ve always thought of myself as a racing driver and I looked for new challenges since my F1 career. To go to Le Mans, I’m very excited to work with an all-star team.”
Button explained that the deal had come together some time ago, thanks to Johnson’s involvement.
“I was asking him what he was up to in 2023 because this guy can’t sit still. He was running through a few things he’s hoping to do, and he said, I’m hoping to bring NASCAR to Le Mans. I was like, sorry, what?
“Then Rocky invited me to a test at Sebring, and it all started from there. I watched and listened to all the information, and all the steps forward they were making.
© Josh Hedges/Getty Images for NASCAR
“I couldn’t resist the opportunity,” Johnson said. “It’s been a big dream of mine to experience Le Mans. With this great group of drivers and this team, it’s really special.
“It’s an incredible group of partners on this project,” added Rockenfeller. “To be involved from day one is just a great honour, a lot of fun, and I can’t wait now to share the car with these two especially-young teammates.”
Garage 56 is the entry set aside for innovative ‘technology of tomorrow and beyond’ by the organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.
In this case the car will be a a modified version of the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 race car, a collaboration between NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsport (HMS), Chevrolet, IMSA and Goodyear originally announced last March.
Another former NASCAR Cup champion, Jeff Gordon, had originally been part of the line-up but stepped away after becoming vice chairman of HMS. Bringing the NASCAR name back to Le Mans is a tribute to NASCAR founder Bill France Sr.
“The design and intent is to take NASCAR to Le Mans,” Johnson said. “It’s a huge honour to represent NASCAR and I have a huge history with the people involved.
“The car is different from the typically NASCAR vehicle, so it’s somewhere between a hybrid of a NASCAR and a prototype.”
All three drivers will test the car at the Daytona road course on Tuesday after the conclusion of this weekend’s 24 hour race kick-starting the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
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Jenson Button and NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson set for Le Mans F1i.com.
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