HAMPTON, Ga. – Moments after taking the white flag in Saturday’s FR8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Corey Heim powered to the inside of Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith, got a push from teammate John Hunter Nemechek and held on to win his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race.
Heim’s No. 51 Toyota crossed the finish line 0.173 seconds ahead of the Toyota of Ben Rhodes, as Ty Majeski came home third and Smith slipped to fourth. Daytona International Speedway winner Zane Smith completed the top five on the repaved and reconfigured track.
“It’s awesome — I was at the right place at the right time,” said Heim, a 19-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, who won in his fifth Truck Series start. “Toyota Racing just helps us so much to get here and I’m just so glad to be here.”
Heim is racing a partial schedule and not competing for the series championship. Smith, the winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks ago, is running a full schedule for KBM, but that didn’t seem to matter with one lap to go.
“Yeah, no team orders there,” Heim said. “I think as long as one of the KBM trucks won, that’s all that matters. So, you know, the 18 (Smith) did an awesome job defending for most of the race there and the 4 (Nemechek) stuck with me when it mattered the most.
“So I’ve got to give all the credit to John Hunter Nemechek for helping me out there. It’s just surreal. Awesome.”
Nemechek was a lap down but running with the lead pack at the finish. Smith would have preferred for Nemechek not to have influenced the outcome.
“It would have been nice to not have anybody in the middle of it — just lead-lap cars — but it is what it is,” Smith said. “I’m happy for them. Good for them. That’s their first win of the year. So it’s the first one for Corey. That’s exciting. I remember how I was being able to win the first one. It was a really cool moment. So happy for him, that whole group…
“Just sucks that it had to end like that. I wish we could have just duked it out.”
Stewart Friesen was the wire-to-wire winner of Stage 1, which ran without caution despite Hailie Deegan’s No. 1 Ford sustaining a cut tire and a subsequent fire on pit road that caused the driver to be taken to the infield care center for evaluation.
Deegan was released shortly thereafter.
After working his way from the rear of the field — thanks to a pre-race penalty for unapproved adjustments to his No. 4 KBM Toyota — Nemechek took the green/checkered flag to win Stage 2, which was interrupted by a single yellow flag for debris on the frontstretch on Lap 50.
Friesen made a strategic play in pitting under that caution and regained the lead when the trucks ahead of him in the running order came to pit road during the second stage break.
A spate of cautions and consequent restarts scrambled the running order during the final stage, as Rhodes, Heim and Smith swapped the lead.
Nemechek slapped the outside wall after a restart on Lap 107 and fell one lap down after pitting under green.
Note: Inspection in the Truck Series garage is complete with no issues, confirming Heim as the race winner.
Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
(⏰ 3 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)
Everything you need to know for Sunday’s first trip to the newly repaved speedway, the fifth regular-season NASCAR Cup Series race of the 2022 campaign.
Race-day info 📝
Where: Hampton, Georgia Approximate start time: 3 p.m. ET TV/Radio: FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 66 degrees. Race distance: 325 laps | 500.5 miles Stages: 105 | 310 | 225 Competition caution: Scheduled for Lap 45 Pit-road speed: 45 mph Caution car speed: 55 mph The Purse: $8,263,045 Atlanta 101: Get the full lowdown| Updated weekend schedule
Starting lineup: See how the field lines up for Sunday Pit stalls: Assignments for Sunday | Expert pit analysis
Key things to watch 🔑
Practice and qualifying: Overall speeds in the 50-minute practice session shouldn’t tell us very much about how the track will race, especially as drivers and teams mixed up short runs in packs and long 30-lap runs. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, drivers emphasized how the track has a mix of superspeedway tendencies and traditional 1.5-mile characteristics. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. quickly found his groove in the lone Saturday Cup session and topped the overall charts. Two Toyotas, Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell, and two Fords, Harrison Burton and Joey Logano, rounded out the top five. Saturday’s qualifying session was canceled due to the need for practice after inclement weather adjusted the weekend schedule. The starting order for Sunday was determined by the NASCAR Rule Book. | Full Cup Series practice recap
Big story line: Aside from the season-opening Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, this is the Next Gen car’s first real test at an unfamiliar track. Atlanta Motor Speedway, famed for its rough surface and chaotic (at times) cracks, is now repaved and revamped for the 2022 season and beyond, bringing with it increased banking and faster speeds. Drivers have stated throughout the week that it’s hard to know what to expect or to prepare for. But the reward for the victor remains the same — a checkered flag, trophy and secured spot (if a new 2022 winner) in the first NASCAR Playoffs of the Next Gen era. Sunday’s race is also a chance to build a solid notebook for when the series returns to Georgia in July. So while there are many unknowns heading into the weekend, one thing is for certain: There is still a lot at stake. | See the incredible track transformation unfold
Who’s hot? Who’s not?Though 2022 brings a host of new challenges, Ryan Blaney can still find comfort in the fact he shines bright at the middle-Georgia track. Blaney has three consecutive top-five finishes at Atlanta, including a win in March. With as much success as he tends to have at superspeedways, this track change should be a welcome one for the No. 12 Team Penske wheelman. He has led laps in three of the last four Atlanta races and is the active leader with a 12.4 average finish. We’ve seen the speed from Blaney all season, Sunday might be the day he puts it all together. On the flip side, Ross Chastain is arguably the hottest driver in the series right now. Coming off a string of two races inside the top three, Chastian is increasingly eager for that elusive first Cup win. But he has struggled mightily at Atlanta. Chastain has never finished higher than 14th here and has never led a lap or scored a stage point. Can the Georgia heat keep the No. 1 team’s hot streak rolling? Or will it stall out Sunday?
Driving under the radar: Based on pre-season expectations, Chastain could be the easy pick here. But Trackhouse Racing has put the sport on notice early, so let’s lean into a driver getting less attention: Austin Dillon. The No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has flashed speed in multiple races this season, slotting in runner-up at Auto Club Speedway, 11th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and had a top-10 run going on the final lap at Phoenix Raceway before unfortunate contact with Daniel Suárez shuffled him back in the finishing order. While he doesn’t have the strongest results to show for it, the effort and pace have been there for a team that struggled throughout much of 2021. Don’t be surprised if you see him running near the front again Sunday.
The newly paved and painted track surface at Atlanta Motor Speedway | Getty Images
Race-day staples ✅
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.
• Expect it: ‘Full-blown chaos’ anticipated for Cup Series’ first flight at new-look Atlanta | Full story
• Rain, rain, go away: Friday’s practice sessions canceled due to weather | Adjusted schedule
• Surface update: Next Gen AMS debuts this weekend with revamped racing | Details, track changes
• Five fast facts: Atlanta spring race | Dive into the details
• Tech corner: New Atlanta brings new challenges for teams and drivers | Bozi’s breakdown
• Le Mans: Hendrick Motorsports announce pursuit of Garage 56 entry | Full release| Steve Phelps speaks| Hear from Rick Hendrick
• Jim France: Thoughts on NASCAR competing in Le Mans | Hear what he said
• First look: Chase Elliott’s new No. 9 Kelley Blue Book scheme | See it here
• Next Gen stops: Stacking Pennies talks about what to expect from JGR’s new pit-stop method | Clip from LaJoie’s podcast
• Penalty upheld: Appeals panel upholds penalties, suspensions for two separate incidents | No. 7 team suspensions| Learn more
• Next Gen nuances: See how NASCAR is bringing the Next Gen cars to the track | Camaro | Mustang |Camry
• GEICO presents NASCAR Returns: Women leading the way | Celebrate Women’s History Month
• eNASCAR: Steven Wilson holds off drivers, wins at Atlanta |See exciting finish
Get in on the action 💰
Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.
NASCAR Creative Design
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• BetMGM: Betting the clean slate for new-look Atlanta |Expert insight
• Prices, lines: Value tough to find as oddsmakers price Atlanta like a superspeedway | Read more
• Fantasy: A lot of unknowns for Atlanta, save Kyle Larson | Watch the weekend breakdown
• Weekly props: Who scores more points at Atlanta — JGR or SHR? | Make your picks
• The Action Network: Best early bet for Atlanta | See who it is
• Make your pick: Better bet — Chase Briscoe or Tyler Reddick? | Compare and choose
• Going all the way: NASCAR betting: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
What happens in Atlanta… 🍑
Before we get a taste of the new Atlanta Motor Speedway, take a look back at the track’s storied history.
• Pace out front: Top 10 lap leaders at Atlanta Motor Speedway | Who’s led the most? • Remember when: Memorable NASCAR moments at Atlanta Motor Speedway | Pick a favorite • Earned, not given: All-time winners at Atlanta Motor Speedway | See who tops the list • Repaved and ready: Atlanta Motor Speedway’s track reprofile journey | Transformation photos • Memory lane: Ryan Blaney passes Kyle Larson down the stretch to win | 2021 race recap
Fast facts ⏩
Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• The last time Atlanta Motor Speedway was repaved was 1997. • Kevin Harvick led the most laps in six of the last nine Atlanta races, but only went on to win twice.
• In the last three Atlanta races, the final green flag stretch has been 90 or more laps.
• Ford’s only 1.5-mile track win in the last 11 races came when Ryan Blaney won in March 2021.
• Eight of the last nine Atlanta winners got their first win of the season.
Say what? 🎙
Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images
• “I think if you think about where NASCAR is, the momentum we had in ’20 and ’21, but for those of you who have been at the race track in ’22, there’s a new sense of energy and enthusiasm to the sport that the sport hasn’t had in a long, long time, as evidenced by what happened at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. The centerpiece of that wasn’t just that amazing venue, it was the Next Gen car. If you think about the racing we’ve seen with the Next Gen car in these five races, there’s something special that’s happening here. We are, as a sport, trying to look at things that are unique and different, puts us apart. I think that’s exactly what we’re doing. That’s what this opportunity is.” — NASCAR President Steve Phelps on the start to the season and new opportunities to grow the sport.
• “I think the goal has been to try and find some fall off everywhere we’ve gone, and I think Goodyear has done a really good job of that at a lot of places. With new asphalt at Atlanta and speeds as high as they are and loads as high as they are, I don’t know what kind of box that puts them in. I would say that we ran through a bunch of different compounds, but I don’t know that we got a good read on what we’d expect for fall off or where the grip would go. I would say that bigger thing that came up across the three drivers that were there was not so much sliding tires as much as chattering. New asphalt, when it gives up, it goes to a chatter more than a slide and just trying to hang on.” — Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford, on tackling the unknowns at Atlanta this weekend.
• “We are heading to Atlanta blind with the new car and new track surface, none of our notes will apply. It is an intermediate track that is going to race like a superspeedway. We are going to go there and put our Daytona and Talladega hat on and see if we can make it to the end. The Toyota group has some notes from the test to look at so we’ll be using that a lot. The first practice will be interesting to see the grip level of the race track, especially with all three series there throughout the weekend.” — Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, on balancing expectations for Atlanta.
NASCAR Cup Series drivers finally got to experience the repaved and reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday and wasted no time getting acquainted.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. set the fastest lap at 186.616 mph (29.708 seconds) as NASCAR takes its superspeedway-style package to the 1.54-mile track in Hampton, Georgia.
The action on-track highlighted elements frequently seen at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Drivers practiced in large groups of cars, racing side-by-side while utilizing the aerodynamic draft created by high speeds and the 7-inch spoiler on the rear of the cars.
Early in the session, Kyle Larson dove to the inside of Brad Keselowski entering Turn 3 and lost front traction, sliding up the track and nearly into Keselowski’s door. Both drivers avoided contact and carried on. There were no incidents in the 50-minute session.
Throughout the series’ lone practice of the weekend, drivers were racing side-by-side and competed three-wide through the higher-banked corners, steepened to 28 degrees from its previous 24 degrees while the turns were also narrowed to 40 feet from 55 feet.
A pack of roughly 20 cars rumbled atop the new pavement midway through the session as drivers attempted to dissect what moves were necessary, which of them worked and which were unusable.
Behind Stenhouse, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Harrison Burton and Joey Logano rounded out the top five in top single-lap speeds. Completing the top 10 were Michael McDowell, Justin Haley, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr. and Cody Ware.
Friday’s on-track activity at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been canceled due to weather in the Hampton, Georgia area.
All three NASCAR national series were scheduled to practice, starting with the Camping World Truck Series at 3:05 p.m. ET. The Xfinity Series was set for 4:05 p.m. ET, with the Cup Series wrapping up the day’s work at 5:05 p.m. ET.
NASCAR also canceled Saturday’s qualifying sessions in order to get practice in. Chase Briscoe will lead the Cup Series field to green Sunday. The lineup was set by the rulebook.
The Cup Series’ practice is now set for 12:40 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Camping World Truck Series (10:40 a.m. ET) and Xfinity Series (11:40 a.m. ET) will practice before.
Rain hit the newly repaved and reconfigured 1.54-mile track well before haulers unloaded and continued into the afternoon with no clearing in sight.
A breakdown of the upcoming races:
— Camping World Truck Series, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET
— Xfinity Series, Saturday at 5 p.m. ET
— Cup Series, Sunday at 3 p.m. ET
The forecast for the weekend looks much clearer than Friday’s radar.
A five-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner in 2021, John Hunter Nemechek would like nothing better than to finish without incident in Saturday’s Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
So far this season, the closing laps of races have been unkind to the driver of the No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Nemechek started second and first, respectively, at Daytona International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but late crashes dropped him to finishes of 24th and 25th in the two events.
Nemechek participated in the January tire test at Atlanta. Since then, NASCAR has instituted the yellow-line rule for superspeedways at the 1.54-mile track, prohibiting passing on the apron.
“A lot of things have changed since we were there at the tire test, double yellow-line rule now,” Nemechek said. “A lot of changes going back…
“The first laps in a pack may be at the start of the race, so a lot to learn, a lot to figure out in a short time, but hopefully it’ll be fun, and hopefully we can bring home our first checkered flag of the year.”
Nemechek is one of three former Atlanta winners entered in Saturday’s race. The others are Matt Crafton and Grant Enfinger.
Austin Cindric has made a tradition out of planting the checkered flag into whatever piece of infield grass he can grab after a victory. This year, he took that habit straight from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to Cup in the season-opening Daytona 500.
It may as well have been a stake driven right into his claim of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. For fellow first-year driver Harrison Burton, it took an otherwise friendly competition within the competition and set the bar for what will be required to wear those laurels at season’s end.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with it,” said Burton, in his first year with the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 team. He’s vying for top rookie honors with Team Penske’s Cindric and Front Row Motorsports’ Todd Gilliland. “It’s been fun to kind of go back and forth and joke around with each other about it and use it as some competitive edge. And then Austin goes off and wins the first race of the year, and that kind of made it harder for us because then we had to go match that.
“So, which is cool, it’s exciting. I mean, there’s been a lot of new winners this year. Every race has had a different winner, and there’s been some first-time winners with Austin and Chase (Briscoe), and (Daniel) Suarez was close. So I think there’s room there to do it. You’re just going to have to have a spectacular day.”
For Burton, those days have been admittedly tough to come by just four races into the 2022 campaign. Crash-related exits in the first two races – including a roof ride in the Daytona opener – created an early deficit for the 21-year-old driver in the Cup Series standings. A 16th-place run at Las Vegas helped stem the slide, but Burton scrapped for just 29th in the final order last weekend at Phoenix.
A Stage 2 wall scrape didn’t help Burton’s cause, but the No. 21 bunch fought handling adjustments over the course of the 312-lapper. The result prompted team president Eddie Wood to say post-race, “we’re a lot better race team than what folks saw today.”
Some degree of learning curve was to be expected this year with a new driver, a new car and the first race of the season on that track type – the 1-mile Phoenix oval. Burton says the underlying confidence from the organization remains, and it’s helped to buoy spirits amidst the difficult early going.
“Let’s be honest, it’s not been a good start. We’ve had a lot of crashes, things that were out of our control, and there were some weekends that were in our control,” Burton says. “And Phoenix was one that, that’s kind of on us, and that’s one of the harder ones to swallow, I think, is when you just run really poorly. But I feel like that it wasn’t something that is not fixable.
“It’s just sometimes you have those days in racing, and I’ve had nothing but great support from the Wood Brothers so far, and that hasn’t changed at all. If they still believe in me, then I still believe in myself. Those are some of the legends in our sport, and they know what they’re talking about. So I think internally, there’s still a great belief in our team, and one bad race isn’t going to change that.”
The challenges promise to continue this weekend at new-look Atlanta Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The intermediate-sized track has undergone a full repave and a significant reconfiguration, with steeper banking and a narrower racing surface.
Teams will use the superspeedway rules package typically reserved for the larger layouts of Daytona and Talladega, leading to wide-ranging conjecture about how the track will race. “It’s like a super-intermediate,” Burton said with a laugh. “That’s what I’m going with.”
Whatever the terminology for the newfangled Atlanta, Burton says he expects a tall test for rookies and veterans alike.
“Yeah, it’s a lot of unknown, that’s for sure,” Burton says. “It’s more unknown than known, and especially for us not having gone to the (previous tire) test, it’s pretty hard to really know what to prepare. It’s kind of its own animal now, so what race do you watch to prepare? What do you do to study? What can you do? There’s been some theories that we’ve had, and we’re certainly trying to prepare just as hard as we normally would, but it’s hard without a lot of material.
“So there’s a lot of unknown, and I’m expecting it to be a really challenging race because of that. A lot of learning on the fly, but you know, fortunately, we’re kind of in the habit of doing that this year. It’s been what this year is all about.”
Atlanta Motor Speedway has been repaved, reconfigured and, therefore, reset. The 1.54-mile track located in Hampton, Georgia, offers a clean slate for Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (3 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) despite having already hosted 115 NASCAR Cup Series races prior this year. Old stats may be irrelevant but can be intertwined into current ones to be made relevant again.
Here are five fast facts before the weekend activities:
1. The last nine Atlanta races were won by Chevrolet or Ford.
Chevrolet is responsible for four of the last nine victories at Atlanta. Ford filled out the other five spots. That means Toyota’s last win there was in 2013. On a similar note, it has been nine races since Toyota won in the Cup Series – Talladega Superspeedway in 2021 (Bubba Wallace). This season alone, Toyota has posted only three top-five finishes in the four completed events: Wallace (second, Daytona International Speedway), Kyle Busch (fourth, Las Vegas Motor Speedway) and Kurt Busch (fifth, Phoenix Raceway).
2. Chase Elliott is winless in last 20 races.
The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet’s last Victory Lane visit came on July 4, 2021 at Road America. It was his second win of the season, marking his lowest total in four seasons with a win. Since then, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion has tallied six top-five results, including three runner-up finishes – none of which have happened in 2022. In fact, Elliott’s best run so far was ninth at Las Vegas two weeks ago. He led 50 laps last weekend at Phoenix but wound up 11th. Meanwhile, two of his teammates – Larson and Bowman – have already won this year.
3. Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin are the only active drivers with average finishes that rank within the top 10 on both superspeedway and 1.5-mile tracks.
How the racing will play out at Atlanta is still a bit of a mystery. The track remained 1.54 miles in length, but the new banking – 28 degrees rather than 24 – is higher than any other intermediate circuit. Because of that, NASCAR decided the superspeedway rules configuration (510 horsepower, seven-inch spoiler) will be used rather than the base package. So, it’s a low-key mix of the two track types.
4. For the season, four different drivers have won a pole, won Stage 1, won Stage 2, won a race and led the most laps.
Only four drivers have also finished in the top 20 in all four races: Ty Dillon, Aric Almirola and the Busch brothers. And the final green-flag stretch in all four races also happened to be four laps or less. The number four seems to be the theme of 2022 so far.
5. Drivers under the age of 30 have won the last 10 races.
I’d make a Next Gen-eration joke here, but this trend started prior to the Next Gen car’s implementation. Since Wallace won at Talladega in October of 2021 – aka last season into the current – every victor has been under 30 years old. That 10-race streak is the longest in NASCAR history at the Cup Series level. Granted, there have only been five different winners during that span thanks to repeats.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Nearly half a century after Bill France Sr. first took stock cars to the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports have announced their intention to compete in the 2023 event as the special Garage 56 entry. The entry will be a modified version of the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 race car and is a collaboration of NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet, IMSA, and Goodyear. Further details, including technical elements of the car and the team’s driver lineup, will be announced at a later date.
“From the early days of NASCAR, it was important to my father that we played a visible role in international motorsports, and there is no bigger stage than the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO. “In partnering with Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, we have the winningest team, manufacturer and tire in NASCAR history. We look forward to showcasing the technology in the Next Gen car and putting forward a competitive entry in the historic race.”
Hendrick Motorsports is the all-time leader in NASCAR Cup Series championships, points-paying victories and laps led. The team is coming off its second consecutive title and has won two of the four races in 2022. Seven-time champion crew chief Chad Knaus will serve as its Garage 56 program manager.
“Participating in one of the truly iconic events in auto racing and representing NASCAR and Chevrolet on the world stage is a privilege,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Jim deserves tremendous credit for having the vision for the project, and we thank him for trusting our organization with the responsibility. Even though Garage 56 is a ‘class of one,’ we are competitors and have every intention of putting a bold product on the racetrack for the fans at Le Mans. It’s a humbling opportunity – one that will present an exciting challenge over the next 15 months – but our team is ready.”
“NASCAR is going back to Le Mans! Chevrolet is looking forward to being a key partner with NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and Goodyear in this historic Garage 56 effort,” said Jim Campbell, Vice President, Chevrolet Performance and Motorsports. “While many know us as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR, we also have had great success with our Corvette Racing program at Le Mans, with eight class wins in 21 starts since 2000. At Chevrolet, we love to compete and we can’t wait to get started on this program.”
“Goodyear has proudly produced tires for NASCAR for more than 60 years, and we look forward to taking our innovation to the next level at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Stu Grant, Goodyear’s general manager of Global Race Tires. “In addition to Goodyear’s presence at Le Mans on the LMP2 class vehicles, being involved in this historic race as part of the Garage 56 entry is yet another demonstration of our commitment to advancing racing tire technology.”
Bill France first brought stock cars to Le Mans on June 12, 1976, after reaching a deal with the event’s organizers. Two NASCAR race cars — a Dodge Charger owned and driven by Hershel McGriff, and a Junie Donlavey owned Ford Torino driven by Richard Brooks and Dick Hutcherson — competed in a newly-created Grand International class.
“Garage 56 is a special opportunity at Le Mans since this race has been a leader in technological process for the auto industry over its nearly century long existence,” said Pierre Fillon, president of l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “When the ACO receives an application for a Garage 56 program, we begin by talking with designers, team partners, and suppliers in order to set performance parameters such that the program can be successful for everyone involved. We will continue to work with NASCAR and all their partners as they work toward their proposed 2023 Garage 56 project.”
Garage 56 was introduced in 2012 as a special single-entry class reserved for innovative cars. It allows for the testing of new technologies and fostering of creativity and innovation without taking away the spot of a car from the traditional starting grid.
SEBRING, Fla. — Once all approvals go forward, NASCAR’s Next Gen car will be in a class by itself in a literal sense in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports and other collaborative partners announced Thursday that they intend to enter a modified version of the Cup Series racer in the endurance classic, which will celebrate its 100th year in 2023. The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is intended to race as the Garage 56 entry, a designated spot in the field that showcases innovation.
The Garage 56 entry is scored and recorded in the official results but is not eligible to compete for the podium or the overall victory. That berth is considered a “class of one” outside of the traditional classifications and an extra entry outside of what used to be a 55-car cap.
Since its creation in 2012, Garage 56 has been a proving ground for experimental and creative technology, starting with the radical Nissan DeltaWing in the program’s inaugural year. A hybrid coupe version of the DeltaWing called the ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) marked a historic first two years later, lapping the 8.469-mile course in racing conditions solely using electric power.
“Garage 56 is a special opportunity at Le Mans since this race has been a leader in technological process for the auto industry over its nearly century long existence,” said Pierre Fillon, president of l’Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the organizer of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “When the ACO receives an application for a Garage 56 program, we begin by talking with designers, team partners and suppliers in order to set performance parameters such that the program can be successful for everyone involved. We will continue to work with NASCAR and all their partners as they work toward their proposed 2023 Garage 56 project.”
Other prospective entries in the Garage 56 category included concepts that ran on alternative fuels. The program returned in 2021 for the first time in five years, with the La Filiere Frederic Sausset by SRT41 team fielding a specially adapted Oreca 07 car with hand controls for co-drivers Nigel Bailly and Takuma Aoki, who are both paralyzed from the waist down.
The full technical aspects of the NASCAR-Hendrick project were not disclosed at Thursday’s presentation, with those details and a driver lineup to be announced at a later date. But the nature of the Garage 56 class creates an avenue for innovation and experimentation — both strong suits of Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition and the Le Mans project manager.
