Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson describes the feelings of receiving so much support from fans at the 24 Hours of Le Mans before climbing in and driving the Garage 56 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 Cup car through the streets of Le Mans to the …
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson describes the feelings of receiving so much support from fans at the 24 Hours of Le Mans before climbing in and driving the Garage 56 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 Cup car through the streets of Le Mans to the circuit as part of a special vehicle parade.
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Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button and teammate Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller finally got to turn official laps in the Garage 56 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 Cup car during the test day for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which comes after one year …
Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button and teammate Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller finally got to turn official laps in the Garage 56 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 Cup car during the test day for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which comes after one year of incredible effort by Hendrick Motorsports and the rest of the project’s partners to bring the program to life.
Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube.
Take a look at the opening day of activities for the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Garage 56 team from NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports with Marshall Pruett as the Le Mans-tuned Chevy Camaro ZL1 Cup car goes through technical …
Take a look at the opening day of activities for the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Garage 56 team from NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports with Marshall Pruett as the Le Mans-tuned Chevy Camaro ZL1 Cup car goes through technical inspection in the center of town.
Or CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube.
Energy. Enthusiasm. Passion for the product. Those are the qualities that convinced NASCAR and IMSA Chairman Jim France and IMSA CEO Ed Bennett that John Doonan was the right man to serve as President of IMSA. Doonan, the former director of …
Energy. Enthusiasm. Passion for the product. Those are the qualities that convinced NASCAR and IMSA Chairman Jim France and IMSA CEO Ed Bennett that John Doonan was the right man to serve as President of IMSA.
Doonan, the former director of motorsports for Mazda North America, joined IMSA in October 2019, and since then, he has played a key role in creating IMSA’s successful new Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class. He also strengthened an alliance with the Automobile Club d’Ouest that has created convergence between IMSA and the international sports car racing community.
France more recently tabbed Doonan to lead a special project that is very close to France’s heart. In 1976, France’s father, NASCAR founder Bill France, hatched a plan to enter a pair of Cup Series cars in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Both cars (a Ford Torino fielded by Junie Donlavey and a Dodge Charger run by Herschel McGriff) failed to make the halfway point of the race, but the uniquely American entries created a strong impression at the historic event and forged a lasting memory for Jim France.
Now, in an effort to boost NASCAR’s international presence and demonstrate the versatility of the Next Gen Cup Series car, France proposed revisiting the events of 1976 by preparing a modified Cup car for Le Mans as the classic endurance event’s “Garage 56” category, an invitational entry intended to showcase new or unusual technology. Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports, and Goodyear were recruited as partners for the project, and Doonan was asked to be the project leader of the effort.
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“In 1976, NASCAR at the time was really strong in the southern U.S. and starting to continue out west, but Mr. France felt it needed more global recognition,” Doonan notes. “The cars were not built to FIA standard at the time, but it was a chance to go over there and try to introduce what was gaining traction here in the States to an international audience. It was the chance to put a stake in the ground and say, ‘Hey, NASCAR is real. Give it a look.’
“Fast forward, the current NASCAR Cup car is a far more versatile and modular car,” he continued. “It’s a lot like the GT cars that run in IMSA or at Le Mans, relative to design and engineering. Jim felt like it was an optimal time to recreate what his dad did and put NASCAR further onto a global stage that can showcase the new car in a manner that might catch the eyes of some of the other manufacturers. I hope the other OEMs come and see there is a huge opportunity with NASCAR and its new car with more road courses.”
As the most successful manufacturer in NASCAR history, Chevrolet was an obvious choice, and Hendrick Motorsports has emerged as the lead Chevrolet NASCAR team over the past 30 years. Similarly, Goodyear’s relationship with NASCAR dates to the 1950s.
Doonan’s task was to ensure that these separate entities came together in pursuit of a common goal, and to assemble a compelling driver lineup that would resonate with American and international race fans. The drivers ultimately chosen were seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button and versatile sports car ace Mike Rockenfeller, a two-time Le Mans winner, including overall honors in 2010.
“A lot of my role and responsibility is bringing all the partners together, aligning with the ACO, and then finding a driver lineup that also achieved what Jim had hoped for — a group of folks that are well known globally and domestically, who can further our messaging based on their reach,” Doonan says. “The three of them came together like they went to school together as little kids. They’ve really jelled and embraced the project for what it is.
“Everyone has come together so well, and it’s been a lot of fun,” he added. “(IMSA and Corvette factory driver) Jordan Taylor is a coach for the drivers, and I feel like I’ve just been a coach for trying to get the various partners communicating.”
Doonan has certainly made a strong impression on the members of the Garage 56 team. Like Rockenfeller, a veteran of factory Le Mans programs for Audi, Porsche, and Corvette Racing.
“John, for me, is a perfect fit,” Rockenfeller said. “There’s a reason Jim France and his folks put John in that position. I knew him a little when he was running Mazda, but I’ve really gotten to know him well with Garage 56.
“I have to say, the positivity, the smile, the energy he brings all the time, is amazing. He pushes everybody, but is very friendly, very kind, and appreciates stuff. But he also moves things in the right direction. This is a huge project, with great partners. It’s kind of a crazy idea if you think about it, to take NASCAR to Le Mans. But John is absolutely the right guy to lead the effort.”
The Garage 56 entry, which will run as No. 24 — a number traditionally associated with Hendrick — required surprisingly little in the conversion from stock car to endurance racing sports car. The car gained real headlights and taillights, as well as some subtle aerodynamic modifications to increase downforce. The engine is essentially the same iron small-block V8 used in the Cup Series, adapted for the rigors of 24 hours of consecutive running. The car is roughly 500 pounds lighter than a standard Cup car.
Like a Cup car, the Garage 56 car does not have doors; driver changes will be executed through the window, NASCAR-style. In an unusual twist, the ACO insisted on using traditional NASCAR hand jacks for tire changes rather than an air jack system engineered into the car.
“There’s no doubt it’s a tall task to finish the race with this car,” observes Doonan. “We’ve tested seven different times at a variety of circuits, most notably a 24-hour test at Sebring that went really, really well. I think we’re cautiously optimistic the car will achieve what it was set out to do. ‘Finish the race,’ Mr. France said, ‘but don’t finish last.’”
Indeed, the goal for Garage 56 is not to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This is a project intended to build bridges and strengthen relationships, all while hopefully boosting NASCAR’s image on an international basis. But IMSA stands to benefit as well.
“I think this is an additional step towards showing the world what NASCAR racing is all about, what the fans over here have loved for 75 years,” Doonan says. “Steve Phelps (NASCAR president) has said over and over that NASCAR is going to do some bold things. L.A. Coliseum, Chicago street race, North Wilkesboro…my hope all along has been that this can be part of that. It’s putting NASCAR on additional people’s radar. It’s a great time for NASCAR, and to have this happen during the 75th anniversary celebration for NASCAR and the 100th anniversary of Le Mans adds a historical perspective on the whole thing that I love.
“For IMSA, it’s an extension of the relationship with the ACO,” he continues. “It adds to what we’ve tried to do with bringing the top category together, and now the fact that they (the FIA World Endurance Championship) will run GT3 cars in the future as well. I think this is maybe another spoke in that wheel of partnership with the ACO.”
The Garage 56 project has been very personally satisfying for Doonan, giving him a chance to revisit previous experiences as a grassroots racer who ultimately rose to a powerful position in the motorsports world. Under Doonan’s guidance, Mazda grew into the most popular brand in American road racing.
“I feel like I’m back in the race team side of the sport, and a huge part of me is going to miss this project when we reach the checkered flag on Sunday, June 11,” Doonan said. “I grew up at the racetrack; I’ve been a racer all my life. This project gave me a chance to go back to rooting for a specific car in a race, so it’s given me a little boost of energy and excitement to be back on that side.
“But the men and women who have executed this thing are the real heroes of the project. It’s been a total blast and I feel like I’ve gained a whole new batch of friends. There’s no doubt that has been the most rewarding aspect. It’s a historic moment for NASCAR, and I’m super proud of the opportunity to be part of it.”
If no detail is too small in racing, Hendrick Motorsports is testing that theory as the final days of preparing its Garage 56 entry for the 24 Hours of Le Mans close in. But these details extend beyond car preparation. Hendrick Motorsports will ship …
If no detail is too small in racing, Hendrick Motorsports is testing that theory as the final days of preparing its Garage 56 entry for the 24 Hours of Le Mans close in.
But these details extend beyond car preparation. Hendrick Motorsports will ship two cars to France, a primary and a backup. Building and sending off race cars to competition, however, is an area Hendrick Motorsports is familiar with. In the case of Garage 56, it’s packing and shipping thousands of other parts, pieces, and various items that is a new world. One of its NASCAR Cup Series haulers has a quarter to maybe half of that much equipment.
Racing closer to green flag 🟢🟢🟢 pic.twitter.com/iF83x05n9k
— NASCARG56 (@nascarg56) May 8, 2023
“We have to bring everything,” program manager Ben Wright said.
And “everything” is no exaggeration. Hendrick Motorsports walked RACER through what was the No. 5 and 9 Cup Series race team shop as it prepared for shipping day. It’s where the Garage 56 program has been housed. Bigger items for Garage 56, such as toolboxes, ladders, a refrigerator, and most of the car parts, were sent via sea freight. It took about a month for those items to arrive in France, which they now have.
Thursday is air freight shipping day. Both cars and the remaining equipment are set to leave the shop — pieces like bodywork, suspension parts, brakes, diffusers and the underwing.
“There are multiples of multiples, and things down to specialty bolts and screws,” said Scott Honan, race mechanic and logistics coordinator. “Things that you can’t even grasp how many special fasteners or things there are. It keeps adding up.”
There is no going back to the race shop if something is missing or another tool is needed. And the team isn’t going to take the chance of what they need being in France somewhere or having partners who can lend them something. Unlike going to Darlington Raceway or North Wilkesboro for a Cup Series race and the team knowing what they need, it’s completely new with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Some of those at Hendrick Motorsports have been sports car racing before, but nothing to the extent of preparing for Le Mans.
“We don’t have a clue (what we need),” said Honan. “You keep looking and packing and thinking, ‘Maybe I need more of this or these.’ It seems like overkill, but maybe it’s not because I keep reminding myself we don’t know what we’re in for.”
“We’re trying to be self-sufficient,” said Wright. That includes bringing tables and chairs, the necessary apparel, crew suits, hats and extra crew shoes. There are even bags upon bags of shoelaces and air fresheners. Those aren’t for competition but as giveaways to fans during a parade event.
There are lists for everything. Honan said it’s not uncommon to pack things, unpack them, move them around and pack them all again.
Speaking of lists, because the team is dealing with international travel, there has to be a catalog of what’s shipped. And those lists can’t change once they’ve been submitted. If more items are thought of, they’ll get packed into suitcases and bags for team members to take individually.
Hendrick Motorsports went as far as building its own wooden crates for what’s being packed. Honan opened one to show how a center or rear clip was put in it in as close to one piece as possible. Most of the shipped parts and pieces are kept as intact as possible to limit the time spent in France having to put it all together.
It’s the same for the two cars, which an auto carrier will pick up. Those will stay largely intact and won’t be put in a crate. The front splitter will be wrapped in some way to protect it while pieces that protrude from the car, like the side mirrors, dive plains (on the front fenders), and rear canards (on the rear quarter panels), are taken off as not to be damaged in transportation.
Before the sea freight left, Honan and others played Tetris on the shop floor. They mapped out the size of the sea freight container and worked to see how everything would fit before putting it all in the real thing. There was also a 3D rendering done before packing it so Hendrick Motorsports knows everything in their container and how it fits.
It was helpful to do that after taking a 16-hour reconnaissance trip to Sebring recently, where they watched some of the WEC teams unload their containers and saw what did or didn’t work.
“It’s been about three months, and I haven’t touched a race car at all,” said Honan. “Sea freight and air freight is all I’ve done for three months.”
While the last of the equipment is shipped off Thursday, the team doesn’t leave for France until the 27th. The race is June 10-11.
“It’s exciting, for sure,” Wright said of being involved in the Garage 56 program. “Doing this for a one-off, to be racing at Le Mans, for me, it’s a bucket list thing. New cars are always fun. They’re fun and a mountain of work. And it’s a challenge, but I think we all like to be challenged.”
Hendrick Motorsports is going to Le Mans intending to finish the race. As far as it can find through research, a car built purposely for a Garage 56 entry has never finished the race. Some never even made the start having experienced problems beforehand.
Of course, everything that gets shipped to France has to come back. Nothing can be left behind when the race is over. Meaning the whole packing and shipping process will repeat itself before being unloaded and categorized back at the Hendrick Motorsports shop.
Jordan Taylor can’t sit still. Well, he might have the ability, but he doesn’t have the will. He could easily enjoy life as a championship-winning driver in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – first partnering with brother Ricky in their father …
Jordan Taylor can’t sit still. Well, he might have the ability, but he doesn’t have the will.
He could easily enjoy life as a championship-winning driver in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship — first partnering with brother Ricky in their father Wayne’s team to take the first championship for Cadillac in the Daytona Prototype international era in 2017 before following it up in 2020-21 with the final GTLM titles for Corvette Racing. But he’s also discovered a love of triathlon; he’s serving as “coach” and reserve driver for the NASCAR Garage 56 Project for the 24 Hours of Le Mans; recently competed in his first NASCAR race subbing for Chase Elliott at COTA; and expanding his social media enterprises.
“Race car drivers, we have a pretty easy life. We have a lot of free time,” he explains of his extracurricular activities, and triathlon in particular. “So we have a lot of time to train. You can train as much as you want to drive the race car but you only need to be so fit to drive the race car. So for me, doing the triathlons, having competitions … it’s another outlet to compete and compare yourself to others. And I would get very bored if I was training just to drive race cars, so I’m also now training to compete in triathlons as a hobby, for fun. It’s fun to schedule events throughout the year and see my progress — if I’m getting faster on the bike, faster on the run and fine-tuning those things.”
Kicked the year off with a win at a local sprint distance triathlon. Stoked. Didn’t even have to shave my legs. #Triathlon #HowIHammer #Zipp pic.twitter.com/q5mAbhrOVS
— Jordan Taylor (@jordan10taylor) January 8, 2023
Jordan admits he’s always hated running, so running a marathon after swimming 2.4 miles and biking for 112 miles — the total distance of an Ironman triathlon is more than he’ll likely drive the No. 3 GTD PRO Corvette at the upcoming Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach — seems absurd. But he’s found the training process very interesting, especially tracking his progress.
It’s not an altogether different idea than developing a race car, something he’s been doing both with the new Corvette Z06 GT3.R that will make its competition debut next year and NASCAR’s Garage 56 project that will compete at the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button will drive the car, with Jordan serving as the reserve driver. The Garage 56 entry for Le Mans is reserved for an “experimental” car that is not competing in one of the regular classes. As such, it has no defined rule set. While the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 started out as a NASCAR Next Gen chassis, the team has been free to make the necessary changes for it to perform well and endure the rigors of a 24-hour race. It’s an experience that Jordan doesn’t usually get in driving today’s race cars.
“These days, our cars are so homologated that there’s no development other than changing springs, changing bars,” he notes. “But you go there and you say, ‘It’s doing this wrong,’ they’ll develop a new part, they’ll go to the wind tunnel and do some CFD. That part for a driver is super fun, because you can see your feedback actually doing something and actually developing a race car. We’ll do a Sebring test, we’ll go to COTA and there’ll be new parts on the car to try. So for me, it’s super interesting to kind of see the engineering behind it as well.”
Wow. 24 hours around Sebring in this monster is no joke. Awesome job by everyone involved. One step closer to Le Mans. #LM24 #NASCAR #NextGenG56 pic.twitter.com/yQztGzJeID
— Jordan Taylor (@jordan10taylor) February 21, 2023
While Taylor is referred to as the “coach” for the Garage 56 team, he acknowledges that there’s not a lot of coaching to do with this crowd.
“I’m having a ton of fun, honestly, watching and, and hanging out. I mean, I’m definitely not coaching the drivers. I’m definitely more of a consultant role with giving a sports car perspective, especially from the GT side, of what to expect when you get to Le Mans, what we need to look out for. There’s a lot of logic in the dash like slow zones and pit speed limiters and traction control all that stuff that they’re not used to on the Cup side that I can help with. So that part’s been fun.
“That’s another thing — I’ll say we need something new on the dash for the driver to understand, next session out, we’ve got updates to the dash,” Taylor explains, admitting that he’s also learning a lot himself with the project.
“The people on the team side are super professional,” he relates. “It’s interesting to see how a team like Hendrick operates, all the procedures, debriefs, meetings. And then all the drivers are just incredible. Rocky, multiple Le Mans winner; Jenson, former world champion; Jimmie a seven-time Cup champion. So learning from those guys, seeing how they operate, what they focus on a car development is super interesting. And yeah, everyone’s just having a great time. There’s no real pressure for performance from an inner-team battle like there would usually be.”
The Garage 56 project gave Jordan an in with Hendrick, and the team a good look at him. So when they needed someone to fill in for Chase Elliott, out with a broken leg form a snowboarding accident, in the NASCAR Cup race at Circuit of The Americas, he was a logical choice. While he doesn’t have a lot of experience with the Cup car — the Garage 56 car is quickly becoming a different animal than the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 he drove at COTA — he qualified fourth. The race didn’t go the way he wanted (read Kelly Crandall’s story about Jordan “surviving” his first NASCAR race here) but he came away with a respect for the different style of racing than he’s used to in sports cars.
Jordan is almost as well known through social media as from his on-track prowess. Sometimes as himself, sometimes as racing superfan Rodney Sandstorm (and sometimes his pooch Fonzie takes center stage), he’s become pretty adept at entertaining fans and promoting the sport through his posts. So obviously the next logical step was to create his own Discord group, @Sportscar4Lyfe. He was inspired by a triathlete he followed, and he notes the small community feel of triathletes and sports car racing participants and fans.
My approach to NASCAR restarts. It was not the right approach. pic.twitter.com/plUCaWRpRl
— Jordan Taylor (@jordan10taylor) March 27, 2023
“He’s one guy that’s been able to capture a lot of the fan base, and he created a Discord server,” Taylor explains. “I went on it and it’s amazing how much interaction and conversation goes on between the fans and people becoming friends through it and going to triathlon events. And they’re hosting events and meetups and stuff like that. So for me, sports car racing has a ton of amazing, passionate fans and there’s no one place for them to kind of go and have conversations and gossip and talk about rumors; so I created it and it’s gone super well so far.”
He admits to not having a full grasp of how Discord works and what it could do, but fans have been leading him through it. And in only a few weeks of the group’s existence, people are having conversations and arranging meetups at races. At Sebring, Sportscar 4 Lyfe and Jordan hosted a wing-eating contest. He has more plans, such as 5k runs around the tracks or track walks with fans.
The server has only been up a day and we’ve already got some good banter going in the different sections of the discord. If you’re a fan of Motorsport, there’s a place somewhere in here for you. @Sportscar4Lyfe https://t.co/NXcJPGipDK pic.twitter.com/0piLRqPEl6
— Jordan Taylor (@jordan10taylor) March 1, 2023
“It’s just a way to get more behind the scenes and give the fans kind of what they deserve,” Taylor says. “I think once we start doing more events and word of mouth spreads, we should attract some more. And it’s not just sports cars. I know it’s called Sportscar 4 Lyfe, but we’ve got IndyCar, Formula 1, NASCAR … everything in the channel for people to follow. Everyone’s friendly on there. We haven’t had any crazy people enter it and cause any mayhem — although I’m sure that’s gonna happen at some point. I think it’s fun. We’ve got simulator stuff, people sharing their online racing. We’ll probably host iRacing series events, have our own little Sportscar 4 Lyfe championship. The options are kind of endless of what we do with it.”
“Endless” seems an apt description for what Jordan is eager to do, both in and out of motorsports, but particularly when he can help grow enthusiasm for sports car racing. There’s no doubt that the Taylor family has made an indelible mark on motorsports, and Wayne Taylor’s youngest son has been a big part of that.
RACER’s Marshall Pruett and IMSA President John Doonan catch up on the latest developments with the Chevrolet ZL1 NASCAR Cup car that’s been developed to race under the Garage 56 entry in June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Presented by At Piloti, it …
RACER’s Marshall Pruett and IMSA President John Doonan catch up on the latest developments with the Chevrolet ZL1 NASCAR Cup car that’s been developed to race under the Garage 56 entry in June at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
