¡¿Cómo pudo un NASCAR arrasar en LE MANS?! | CHEVROLET CAMARO Garage 56

On June 10, 2023, a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Next Gen roared through the stone arches of the Place de la République in Le Mans. It wasn't the sound of a hypercar or a hybrid prototype. It was a 5.8-liter cast-iron V8, the R07 engine from the NASCAR Cup Series, bringing back to La Sarthe a sonic spectacle that had been absent since 1976. That first time, the Grand International Class—a category created by an agreement between the ACO and Bill France, president of NASCAR—brought Herschel McGriff's Dodge Charger and the Junie Donlavey team's Ford Torino to France. The French public dubbed them "Les Deux Monstres" (The Two Monsters). Neither finished the race. The Charger's engine blew on the second lap due to an octane issue. The Torino retired after eleven hours with a transmission failure. NASCAR wouldn't return to Le Mans for 47 years. The return began with a letter. Chad Knaus, vice president of competition for Hendrick Motorsports and engineer for Jimmie Johnson's seven championships, received an envelope from Jim France himself inviting him to Le Mans. On March 17, 2022, in the Sebring pit lane, NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet, Goodyear, IMSA, and the ACO announced the Garage 56 project: a grid position reserved since 2012 by the ACO for genuine technological innovation, exempt from regulations. The number chosen was 24, Jeff Gordon's. The car they built wasn't a prototype in disguise. It was a real NASCAR: a naturally aspirated R07 engine, without turbo or hybridization, producing approximately 700 horsepower, a steel tube chassis weighing 1,342 kg, carbon brakes with six-piston monobloc calipers, a five-speed sequential gearbox, Goodyear Racing Eagle tires developed from scratch, and forged aluminum BBS-G56 wheels. The trio of drivers was historic: Mike Rockenfeller, the 2010 Le Mans winner with Audi and 2013 DTM champion; Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 world champion and 2018 Super GT champion; and Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time NASCAR champion with 83 Cup Series victories. Jordan Taylor, a four-time IMSA champion, served as the fourth reserve driver. In the race, the Garage 56 Camaro clocked a time of 3:51.904, faster than the entire GTE Am class. A transmission failure two hours from the end resulted in over an hour in the pits. Even so, the car completed 285 laps and 4,660 km, crossing the finish line 39th out of 62. Herschel McGriff, 95, the same man who drove the 1976 Dodge Charger, was by the pit wall when Johnson crossed the finish line. ✅ Get THE MOTORSPORT BIBLE: https://evomaster.es/ ☑️ To support the channel, you can join my Patreon and enjoy EXCLUSIVE CONTENT:   / evo_master   ➡️ Follow me for more content: 🔹Instagram: evo__master 🔹Twitter: evo__master 🔹TikTok: evo__master 📥Contact (business inquiries only): [email protected]