NASCAR Garage 56 Final Design, Race Livery Unveiled

The NASCAR Garage 56 project has unveiled the final design and livery of its modified Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 which is gearing up to take part in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Management figures from NASCAR, Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports were on-hand to preside over the reveal during a launch event at Daytona International Speedway.

The collaborative program is aiming to secure an invitation to the centennial edition of Le Mans, as a standalone entry not assigned to one of the three racing classes.

“The colors represent all of the partners that are involved,” said IMSA President John Doonan, who presented the unveiling.

“By irony, it also reflects back to the history of when NASCAR went to Le Mans in 1976. One was white and gold, and one was blue.

“It really is fitting that we’re going to take those colors back with our current-day partners.”

The Garage 56 machine is based on this year’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Cup car but has been modified for racing over 24 hours at the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe.

It will be powered by a naturally aspirated 5.8-liter Chevrolet R07 cast iron small block V8 engine, with a five-speed paddle shift sequential gearbox rather than manual.

The standard Gen 7 NASCAR machine is also powered by a 5.8-liter V8.

Although Le Mans organizer the ACO previously indicated that the Garage 56 car would likely be hybrid-powered, there has been no mention of a hybridization element.

Additionally, a horsepower figure has not been revealed.

The fuel tank capacity has been increased from around 75 liters to 121 liters and will use the renewable TotalEnergies Excellium Racing 100 supplied to all cars at Le Mans.

Aerodynamic changes include the spoiler being raised from 4 inches to 6 inches, and the addition of dive planes on the front and canards on the rear.

The weight of the vehicle has been reduced by more than 200 kgs, from 1580 kg to 1342 kg.

Project partner Goodyear has developed special tires for Garage 56, including day and night slick compounds and intermediate and wet options.

Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller, who was at the livery reveal, were announced as the NASCAR Garage 56 driver lineup last month, along with reserve driver Jordan Taylor.

They went on to take part in a test at Daytona, where the Camaro test car ran with functioning headlights for the first time, and are set to rejoin the Hendrick-led engineering group at Sebring for a 24-hour endurance test starting on Monday.

“From the beginning of this project, it was important to us that the car we bring to Le Mans is a true NASCAR stock car,” said NASCAR chairman Jim France.

“While there have been some adjustments to allow the car to compete in a 24-hour endurance race, fans in Le Mans will be treated to the full NASCAR experience.”