Yahoo Autos Garage 56 extends Le Mans mission at UK American SpeedFest
The NASCAR Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Cup Series car continued its promotional effort beyond the 24 Hours of Le Mans with an appearance this weekend at the British circuit of Brands Hatch. The Hendrick Motorsports-run machine, which attracted a wide following en route to finishing 39th at Le Mans last weekend, was a key part of the fan zones at the “American SpeedFest” event at the former British Grand Prix venue.
The team’s spare car was on display in pristine condition (the finished Camaro has not been cleaned!) and attracted huge numbers of fans throughout the weekend, all keen to see it up close and get pictures. Some lucky younger fans were also invited to sit in the car and get a feel for its cockpit.
“The media coverage for Garage 56 is just relentless,” IMSA president and NASCAR Garage 56 program manager John Doonan told RACER at the event. “It just keeps coming — we can’t believe it. Rick Hendrick is so excited by it; we’re sharing links all the time.”
Doonan was on hand to help showcase the car and soak up the atmosphere at what he says is his favorite European circuit, having visited multiple times in the past — including its annual Formula Ford Festival, where he discovered and signed Tristan Nunez for Mazda.
Whelen NASCAR Euro Series is enjoying growing interest in partnership with the American SpeedFest. Photo courtesy of Brands Hatch
Doonan was also tasked with giving the “Gentlemen, start your engines” call on Saturday before the first of four Whelen NASCAR Euro Series races on the Indy circuit for the annual SpeedFest, which features a wide variety of U.S.-themed support races.
The bill included 70th Anniversary of Corvette races, pickup truck racing and a grid of Bernie’s V8s and Historic outlaws that featured everything from 2000s Chevrolet Monte Carlo Cup cars, a 1979 Aston Martin V8 Vantage, 1966 Plymouth Belvedere and a heavily-modified 1970 Triumph Spitfire.
The NASCAR Euro Series itself, which was founded in 2009, features a field of European-based teams and drivers competing in a mixture of Toyota Camry, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro-bodied stock cars manufactured in France, powered by 5.7-liter V8 engines. The races are held throughout the year as part of a calendar that features six rounds on European road courses in as many countries.
The Brands Hatch events underscore how NASCAR’s efforts internationally to generate interest for its series are paying off. The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series enjoyed its biggest season yet in 2022 in terms of fan engagement, viewing figures and attendance, and is in the thick of another strong year in 2023.
A big crowd for all things American at Brands. Stephen Kilbey photo
On-site for the packed SpeedFest, celebrating its 10th year in 2023, was a delegation from NASCAR’s head office in Charlotte and its International Group, keen to build on the organisation’s international presence.
In addition to showing off the Garage 56 Camaro and promoting a heritage parade featuring a selection of Cup Series machinery, NASCAR used the weekend to announce a renewed partnership with Brands Hatch to make the circuit the home of NASCAR in the UK through 2028.
“Brands Hatch has always been one of the highlights of the NWES calendar,” NWES President and CEO Jerome Galpin said. “We work perfectly together with MSV (MotorSport Vision, which owns Brands Hatch) and especially with David Willey (MSV Group Motorsport event manager) and his team.
“In the past 10 years, the American SpeedFest became a huge popular success and it was a natural choice to extend our agreement and keep bringing the excitement of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series to Brands Hatch and the amazing British fans. We are really happy and proud to continue evolving the event and make it even bigger and better.”
Meanwhile, the NASCAR Garage 56 project will keep the promotional momentum rolling at next month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Jenson Button and Jimmie Johnson will take turns running the car up the famous hill climb.
Beyond that, when and whether the modified Cup Series Camaro will run in a competitive environment again is unclear. “We will have to wait and see,” Doonan told RACER.
