NASCAR at LeMans

With a car that’s 250 lbs lighter, has a different aero map, more power and runs on Michelin tires.

Crybabies. Tell them to complain to L’Automobile Club de l’Ouest ... or the FIA. They’ll be laughed out of the room.
 
With a car that’s 250 lbs lighter, has a different aero map, more power and runs on Michelin tires.

Crybabies. Tell them to complain to L’Automobile Club de l’Ouest ... or the FIA. They’ll be laughed out of the room.
Cry Babies you say? There is always Danny Hamlin with his yappy mouth.

Denny Hamlin, one of NASCAR's most-outspoken drivers and now arguably its most-outspoken team owner, made his grievances over NASCAR's planned Le Mans entry public while speaking to reporters earlier in March at Circuit of the Americas. Speaking as co-owner of 23XI Racing, Hamlin took issue with NASCAR not informing its race teams of its Le Mans plans prior to their announcement.
 
When this kind of opportunity presents itself, you don’t start dictating terms.

It’s a Hendricks Motorsports deal. It has nothing to do with Hamlin. Maybe Denny should be focused on a W at Richmond.
 
I think there's only a couple of teams capable of doing this in the 1st place and HMS, JGR and Penske are probably at the top of that list. There's no doubt you'll figure out something in going over there and running that there's no doubt. Is it enough to make a huge difference? That's debatable
 
With a car that’s 250 lbs lighter, has a different aero map, more power and runs on Michelin tires.

Crybabies. Tell them to complain to L’Automobile Club de l’Ouest ... or the FIA. They’ll be laughed out of the room.
They’re running Goodyears, fwiw.

I get where Denny is coming from, tbh. Still a lot of free parts testing and Chevy get to work on mating an electric component well before anyone else. It is probably advantageous in some ways even if the car is significantly different in others.
 
Jeff may be up for it after all.

In the middle it also says this particular chassis will be built by Dallara.

 
Jeff may be up for it after all.

In the middle it also says this particular chassis will be built by Dallara.


I’ll be so damn excited if JG races. Maybe he’ll train this entire rest of the year, run the simulator and then....as an appetizer to LeMan...run the 2023 Rolex 24!
 
About the only thing I am really excited about is to see what
kind of lighting system will adorn the car. Its a garage 56 entry for
crying out loud, in other words , an experiment . Are we really
going to fall over ourselves to put together a dream
team to drive it? Any or all 4 of the Hendrick drivers will do imo.
To me , Le Mans is about Prototypes and sports cars, not NASCAR's.
I get it for a one off spectacle, but not for a long term fit.
 
Are we really
going to fall over ourselves to put together a dream
team to drive it?
I don't think it's a question of putting together a dream team. It's that these drivers dream of running LeMans, even knowing they may not be competitive. Gordon and Johnson have almost nothing left they haven't done, but this is on their lists. If Hendrick can field a dream team without having to recruit, why not?
 
About the only thing I am really excited about is to see what
kind of lighting system will adorn the car. Its a garage 56 entry for
crying out loud, in other words , an experiment . Are we really
going to fall over ourselves to put together a dream
team to drive it? Any or all 4 of the Hendrick drivers will do imo.
To me , Le Mans is about Prototypes and sports cars, not NASCAR's.
I get it for a one off spectacle, but not for a long term fit.
Yes. yes we are. For those of us like myself who are familiar with LeMans but doesnt really go out of the way to watch it, I think the 56 HMS entry is going to be awesome. Maybe while watching how HMS does I'll really fall in love with all the other aspects of this race that many others are fans of and eagerly tune into see.
 
Yes. yes we are. For those of us like myself who are familiar with LeMans but doesnt really go out of the way to watch it, I think the 56 HMS entry is going to be awesome. Maybe while watching how HMS does I'll really fall in love with all the other aspects of this race that many others are fans of and eagerly tune into see.
I’ve already learned something. I’d never heard of a garage 56 entry before.
 
I was wondering what class the car would be in when I noticed the term Garage 56. I had to look up what that class is. It is a special class of one, it does not qualify for a podium finish but it is scored with the field. It is intended to test new ideas and innovations; the Nissan DeltaWing used that class last year. It is basically an open class (I assume entries are evaluated by race officials to determine if they qualify).
 
Yes. yes we are. For those of us like myself who are familiar with LeMans but doesnt really go out of the way to watch it, I think the 56 HMS entry is going to be awesome. Maybe while watching how HMS does I'll really fall in love with all the other aspects of this race that many others are fans of and eagerly tune into see.
Jordan Taylor mentioned that as well, it’s good to get new eyeballs on the sport. It’s good marketing for all parties.
 
Garage 56, ”gotta be a hybrid”, I get it. With Hybrid a future reality for NASCAR, here’s a chance to field a proof of concept car as a audition for the future Hybrid spec for NASCAR.

Now Denny’s belly aching makes sense beyond just the standard issue “how ‘bout us too?”.
 
The elusive pursuit of developing the perfect push rod length will be the greatest opportunity.
I expect HMS and Childress to leave Lemans with the ability to customize a specific Le-pushrod length package for all 36 cup races after that for their own advantage.
 
No surprise here. For those that don't know, RCR builds the engines for the IMSA Cadillac prototypes too. They already have years of experience building pushrod GM endurance V8s.
And will also be building up those engines with hybrid components for next year’s regulations, so that’s an added experience benefit.
 
And will also be building up those engines with hybrid components for next year’s regulations, so that’s an added experience benefit.
Ya know, nothing sez Ford and Toyota can't be knocking out their own hybrids. Of course, until NASCAR releases specifics, it's pointless. We don't know that anything learned at Le Mans will apply elsewhere (other than the oh-so-valuable seat time :p .
 

Jim France to be awarded the 2022 Spirit of Le Mans trophy​

The first chicane at Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight is now called the “Daytona Chicane” and the chicane at Daytona International Speedway – once referred to as “The Bus Stop” – is now called the “Le Mans Chicane.”
The agreement France helped develop and sustain, allows competitors to run the same prototype sports cars in both the top championship sanctioned classes of IMSA and the ACO. Last year, the two leadership groups renewed that “strategic alliance” first formed in 2013 and also includes a unique and important naming “swap.”

“I take tremendous pride in the relationship we have built with the ACO over the past decade,” France said. “IMSA and the ACO are the caretakers of endurance sports car racing all over the world and together we have developed a platform for an incredibly bright future.

 
Testing coming up in a few months at places like Daytona, Sebring, Road Atlanta.

IMSA president John Doonan told NBC Sports that multiple drivers have been testing Chevrolet’s DIL (Driver in the Loop) simulator in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area.

“That includes current NASCAR drivers, current sports car drivers with lots of Le Mans experience,” Doonan said. “It includes former NASCAR drivers that are retired. So I think there is a great anticipation on my part and everyone’s part on who’s going to drive it. There’s a lot of interest from all those categories I just mentioned, which is really exciting. Everyone is pumped.

“Rick Hendrick told me a few weeks ago, ‘I’ve got a lot of new friends. Everyone is calling me to try to drive this car.’ Which is awesome.”

 
“The car is going to be so highly modified,” Doonan said. “It’s not going to be a car that can enter a Cup race. It’s going to have headlights and taillights. It’s going to be set up for endurance racing. We have, however, invited Ford and Toyota to be part of any testing such that we maintain some transparency and that type of thing. It’s the right thing to do.
 
“The car is going to be so highly modified,” Doonan said. “It’s not going to be a car that can enter a Cup race. It’s going to have headlights and taillights. It’s going to be set up for endurance racing. We have, however, invited Ford and Toyota to be part of any testing such that we maintain some transparency and that type of thing. It’s the right thing to do.
After Toyota had to bitch....Come on.
 
There’s a nugget in here that indicates they’re using the same hybrid component being used in IMSA next year. Pretty practical decision.

 
There’s a nugget in here that indicates they’re using the same hybrid component being used in IMSA next year. Pretty practical decision.

The toyota wilson won't be happy about that. I would imagine the same power system would work just peachy in a Cup car also.
 
I don't think it's a question of putting together a dream team. It's that these drivers dream of running LeMans, even knowing they may not be competitive. Gordon and Johnson have almost nothing left they haven't done, but this is on their lists. If Hendrick can field a dream team without having to recruit, why not?
I feel Gordon will agree if he can be competitive, i don't think he wants his legacy to be that of a back-marker.
 
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