NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports’ entry to the 24 hours of Le Mans as the Garage 56 car was a historic venture. Even more so, when the heavily modified Next Gen car crossed the 24-hour mark flag while being 39th on a grid of 60 cars in total. As a great chunk of the cars retired from the grueling endurance race, the HMS car held its ground and managed to finish the race.
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For everyone involved with the project, it was a significant achievement. However, after the conclusion of the centennial event in France, NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson had some parting words. He spoke with the media and revealed why he was left “bummed” after the conclusion of the race.
Jimmie Johnson explains why he was “bummed” after the Le Mans race
Jimmie Johnson was one of the three drivers behind the wheel of the HMS car at Le Mans, the other two being Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button and the 2010 champion at 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mike Rockenfeller. Following the conclusion of the race, Johnson told AP what he felt about the race with the Garage 56 car and how he wanted to come back to it.
Johnson stated, “We’re not the same category, but we are the same type of car, and our own estimations we thought we’d be a mid-to-back pack of the GT cars and you use that for motivation. We were laughing at ourselves when they were changing the transmission because the goal was only to finish. And then after the first laps on the track, we thought ‘Maybe there’s more for us’ and over the course of the week. We started the race with the desire to win the GT race.”
“We are bummed. I wish we could come back and do it again,” he said. “This moment, like with everybody, I hate that it is over. Like, I hate that. We had such a good time. I hope to come back without a doubt and do this race again. But this moment in time, this group of people, it won’t happen again. It’s just impossible.”
Hendrick Motorsports wanted to finish ahead of the GTE Am class
Coming into the race Hendrick already knew that they wouldn’t receive any podiums or points due to the Garage 56 car being an exhibition entry. However, the team realized the considerable speed advantage over the GTE Am class could let them outpace everyone else.
When they saw a genuine opportunity to win the whole class, their expectations naturally shifted. Team owner Rick Hendrick watched the race into the early hours of the morning and was thrilled at the prospect of potentially finishing ahead of the GTE Am class.
Jim France and Rick Hendrick salute @JimmieJohnson as he finishes the 24 Hours of Le Mans for NASCAR Garage 56 pic.twitter.com/GdmCbwoHfN
— Josh Hamilton (@joshahamilton) June 11, 2023
At the end of it all, their finishing spot didn’t change the World Endurance Championship results. However, it was an iconic moment for NASCAR and the HMS-powered car. The valuable data collected during the race would hopefully be useful for making enhancements in NASCAR. So in the grand scheme of things, it was a successful outing for them.
