Yahoo Autos Jenson Button and Jimmie Johnson to Race NASCAR’s Le Mans Camaro
Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, and Jenson Button (L-R).
If you’ve been crowned the best in the world at the one thing you’ve worked at all your life, what do you do next? Would you stick at it, trying to keep holding onto your crown, or would you retire graciously to leave a cloud of mystery around your legacy? For ex-champions Jenson Button and Jimmie Johnson, it doesn’t sound like they’re taking either option, and are instead just having a go at whatever they fancy.
That’s maybe why they’ll be taking on the 24 hour race at Le Mans this year. The 2009 F1 champion and the seven-time NASCAR cup series champion will join 2010 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller at the Garage 56 team when it heads to the legendary French race later this year.
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That might sound like an odd mix of drivers to take on Le Mans, but it starts to make sense when you hear what car the three will be driving. These three champs from three very different racing series will pilot a NASCAR Next-Gen racer at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Jimmie Johnson won NASCAR’s Cup Series seven times.
“I’m super thrilled — it’s been at the top of my bucket list to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans someday,” Johnson said in a statement shared by the team. “To have this opportunity come — and to partner with everybody and this driver lineup — is truly an incredible opportunity and one that I am thankful to be a part of.”
The Garage 56 entry was announced by Hendrick Motorsports last year. The team has partnered with Chevrolet to prep a Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 racer for the grueling event.
To make the NASCAR racer Le Mans-ready, the car has been fitted with dive planes up front, side-view mirrors and new suspension components. Bigger changes made across the car include a different chassis to a standard NASCAR racer and a different engine.
