When he’s not behind the wheel of a race car, Jimmie Johnson isn’t the kind of guy who sits still.
The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion is always looking for the next thing to cross off his bucket list, which essentially explains his NTT IndyCar Series and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endeavors.
However, last year, Johnson found a breeding ground for his new dream.
“[Johnson] was running through a few things he’s hoping to do, and he said, ‘I’m hoping to bring NASCAR to Le Mans,’” said Jenson Button, 2009 Formula 1 champion. “I was like, ‘Sorry, what?’”
While the thought may have crossed Johnson’s mind, the vision belonged to Jim France, NASCAR’s chairman, first. Following in his father’s — Bill France Sr. — footsteps, France wanted to develop a Garage 56 entry for the 2023 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
France’s generational dream of leading NASCAR to compete on a global stage has slowly deepened its roots over the last year, due to a collaboration with Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear. With the four entities working together to turn the plan into reality, the next step was to find drivers to fill the seat.
“If there is ever such a thing as an all-star team in motorsports, this project is the absolute poster of that,” said John Doonan, IMSA president and project leader of Garage 56.
During a press conference at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Saturday, the driver lineup for NASCAR’s Le Mans venture was announced. Johnson, Button and Mike Rockenfeller will share driving duties during the world’s most prestigious sports car endurance race in June.
Garage 56 is Le Mans’ single-entry class reserved for innovative cars. It was created in 2012 and is primarily focused on allowing entrants to test new technologies.
Though a Garage 56 entry is not eligible to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there is still a high level of anticipation shared among the three drivers.
“It’s the last thing standing on my bucket list, as well as my own personal list that I’ve had through the years, is to go to Le Mans,” Johnson said. “An opportunity like this is a chance-of-a-lifetime.”
As a past competitor in IMSA’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, Johnson is no stranger to endurance racing. He has lined up for the twice-around-the-clock classic nine times and has a best finish of second.
“I’ve always left a 24-hour race here just exhausted physically and mentally with a smile on my face,” Johnson said. “I really do enjoy the challenge.”
The allure of racing at Le Mans has kept Johnson antsy for his debut this summer.
On the other hand, the remaining two drivers in the lineup have already burned rubber at France’s famed 8.5-mile Sarthe Circuit. Button made his first appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018, following the conclusion of his 17-year Formula 1 career.
“Before I went there, I was like, ‘what’s the big deal with Le Mans?’ I thought Formula 1 was the pinnacle. But Le Mans is such a special race,” Button said. “We all have to work together to perform and to get a result out of it.”
Button openly admitted the invitation to race with NASCAR at Le Mans came as a “total surprise.” While he’s been on the lookout for new challenges since retiring from Formula 1, going back to Le Mans wasn’t exactly what he expected.
“I was on the way to Disneyland and took the wrong road,” Button joked.
Celebrated sports car endurance driver Rockenfeller is the only former Le Mans winner on the roster.
Since day one of the project, he has played a significant role in the testing and development phases of NASCAR’s Garage 56 entry, which is an adaptation of a Chevrolet Next Gen Cup Series machine.
As the 39-year-old analyzes the new era for NASCAR and considers the greater benefit of the American operation entering Le Mans, Rockenfeller believes the Garage 56 project is the start of something incredible.
“To be there and fight for overall victory, I think every driver wants to do that. This year for sure, for us, it’s a little different. We won’t be able to,” Rockenfeller said. “But to have all these manufacturers on the grid, it’s truly amazing for Le Mans.”
From a technological perspective, the project’s intent is to bring the DNA of NASCAR’s Next Gen car to France. However, as new components are tested and changed on the Garage 56 car, the expectation is that some modifications will eventually carry over to NASCAR’s standard competition vehicle.
“We’ve learned a lot already about this car and what might be able to be applied to the Next Gen Cup car,” Doonan said. “Here on Tuesday, we’re going to fire up headlights —working headlights, working taillights. No more stickers.”
Johnson took a turn behind the wheel of the Next Gen car for the first time this past week and admitted he’s already feeling comfortable — perhaps a good omen for the Garage 56 team.
“It did feel foreign, but it felt a hell of a lot closer to home than driving an Indy car,” Johnson said. “Within six laps, I was right there on pace with the guys, so that was nice to be back at home.”