How This NASCAR Camaro Beat Ferrari At LeMans

In 2023, the 24 Hours of LeMans featured an unusual entry. Hendrick Motorsports entered a modified NASCAR stock car in the endurance race where it competed against GTE cars from Ferrari, Porsche, and Aston Martin. The stock car also held its own against the hypercar prototypes on the track.

NASCAR entered a Camaro ZL1 stock car which was modified to work at LeMans in 2023. Employing a trio of highly experienced and world champion-quality drivers, the Camaro was one of the highlights of the race. Mostly because its appearance stood out against the low-slung GTE cars, but also because of its performance on track.

While everyone expected it to be slower, the NASCAR Camaro stock car was faster than the Ferrari, Aston, and Porsche GTE cars, albeit racing under special rules. Furthermore, this outing at LeMans was meant to settle any doubts and preconceived notions that stock cars are only good at turning left.

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NASCAR Camaro Entered LeMans Under Special Rules

NASCAR Camaro Stock Car At LeMans

• The NASCAR Camaro stock car raced under the experimental Garage 56 entry at LeMans.
• The trio of accomplished drivers included Jimmy Johnson, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller
• In qualifying, the NASCAR Camaro was four seconds faster than the fastest Ferrari GTE car
• The team finished 39th overall in the race

Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR entered the modified Camaro ZL1 stock car at LeMans under the regulation-free Garage 56 special entry in 2023. This was partly possible with the updated “Next-Gen” stock cars that NASCAR had introduced in the series, which employed improved aerodynamics with a new rear diffuser, center lock wheel nuts, and larger wheels.

However, the biggest change was that NASCAR would race on traditional ovals but also on road courses like the Circuit of the Americas, Watkins Glen, and the Charlotte Roval.

To race at the 24 Hours of LeMans, NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports employed a trio of accomplished drivers, including NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button, and two-time LeMans winner Mike Rockenfeller. However, many assumed that the Camaro stock car would only be fast on the straights and slow through the corners. But the car settled its doubters with the utmost ease.

The NASCAR Camaro Had A Four-Second Lead On Ferrari

Racing in its own separate class under the Garage 56 entry, the Camaro was not required to meet any balance of power (BOP) regulations of the other classes. However, the Garage 56 entry was required by regulation to start from the back of the entire field. In qualifying, the Camaro stock car set a time of 3 min, 47.9 seconds, out-qualifying the entire GTE class.

The fastest qualifying time for the GTE class was 3 min, 51.9 seconds, a full four seconds slower, set by the Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, which was bound by the BOP restrictions of the class. On race day, the stewards were forced to allow the Camaro stock car to start in front of the entire GTE class of cars on the grid.

In the race, the Camaro ZL1 stock car remained competitive. Its overly loud and distinctive engine noise was also quite memorable. During the 24-hour race, the transmission of the car failed, and regulations of LeMans do not allow a mid-race gearbox change. However, an exception was made for the special entry, but the team dropped 10 places during the transmission change in the pits. The trio of Button, Johnson, and Rockenfeller finished the race in 39th place overall, driving 285 laps, covering 2,415.66 miles. Interestingly, the Camaro was classified 10th in the GTE category.

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Modifications To The Next-Gen NASCAR Camaro For LeMans

Next-Gen NASCAR Camaro ZL1 Stock Car Upgrades For 24 Hours of LeMans

• Engine tuned to 750 hp, 150 hp more than the GTE category
• Same stock car trans-axle, but with an F1-style paddle shift
• Full carbon braking system
• Aerodynamic upgrade with large front dive planes, pronounced front splitter, rear canards, large rear spoiler
• Special custom Good Year tires that were more durable than stock car cup tires
• Weight reduction – carbon fiber body panels, removing front and rear crash structures
• Adding headlights for 24-hour endurance driving

Due to the regulation-free nature at LeMans for the Garage 56 entry, NASCAR and LeMans could enter the 24-hour endurance race with a Camaro ZL1 stock car. However, it needed some key modifications to be competitive, while also racing for an entire 24-hour period.

Firstly, the V8 engines in next-gen stock cars are tuned to make between 510-670 hp. For LeMans, Hendricks Motorsports tuned the engine to 750 hp. The engine was initially designed for a 400-500-mile race distance.

To ensure reliability for a 24-hour race and a much longer distance, the Camaro stock car ran with a rev limiter as the engine was capable of more than 750 hp. In contrast, the GTE cars were bound by BOP regulations to around 600 hp. The car continued to use the same transmission. However, the sequential shifter was replaced with an F1-style steering wheel with paddle shifters.

Hendrick Motorsports upgraded the Camaro stock car’s stopping power to carbon ceramic brakes. But the most significant upgrade was the revised aerodynamic package. Featuring a pronounced front splitter, large front dive planes, massive rear canards, and a larger rear spoiler, the LeMans-spec Camaro offers 50 percent more downforce than the standard stock car configuration. Good Year supplied the team with revised tires that were more durable so the team wouldn’t have to stop to change tires as often.

In its cup car configuration for NASCAR, the Camaro ZL1 stock car weighed 3300 lbs. Which meant it was over 660 lbs heavier than the GTE cars, and over 1,100 lbs compared to the prototypes. The team shed over 485 lbs by replacing certain body panels with carbon fiber, and removing front and rear crash structures that are required in stock car racing, but wouldn’t at LeMans.

Finally, stock car racing happens during the day, or under floodlights, so the cars use stickers that resemble headlights. But as the team would be required to race in the dark of the night at LeMans, functional headlights were added to the Camaro to complete the package.

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The History Of Garage 56 Car Entries At LeMans

List Of Garage 56 Entries At LeMans

The Garage 56 entry at LeMans is an experimental class that allows one car to compete in the 24-hour race. In this class, the car is not required to meet any of the regulations that are enforced in the other different classes. Over the years, the class has seen various experimental cars racing at LeMans, including the Nissan Deltawing in 2012, followed by the Zeod RC delta-wing two years later.

In 2016, SRT 41 entered an open-cockpit prototype, piloted by the first-ever quadruple amputee to race in the series. A closed cockpit prototype was the La Filliere developed by SRT 41 for the 2021 edition of the 24 Hours of LeMans. This time the car was driven by two differently-abled drivers.

Finally, the last entry in the experimental Garage 56 category was the NASCAR Camaro ZL1 stock car in 2023.

Sources: NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, 24 hours of LeMans.