Rick Hendrick on NASCAR Garage 56’s fantastic outing at Le Mans: “The last thing we were going to do was come here and fall on our nose”

47 years after making its first appearance at the famed Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe, NASCAR's return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023.

NASCAR was able to run during one of the biggest spectacles in motorsports with a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 as a part of the Garage 56 entry in the event. Jimmie Johnson ultimately crossed the finish line at the 8.4-mile-long track after a grueling 24 hours of racing.

With an aim to showcase technological advancement, the 'Innovative Car' entry saw the most successful team in the history of NASCAR become the first to finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Following a race that saw drivers Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller almost beat the whole LMGTE AM class, Rick Hendrick emphasized how what the program meant not only for the partners involved but for NASCAR as a sport itself.

At one of the biggest motorsport events on the globe, the Hendrick Motorsports owner had a reputation to uphold. He explained:

“The last thing we were going to do was come here and fall on our nose, I wasn’t going to let that happen.”

Finishing in an ultimate P39 on the full roster of cars that included all categories, the Garage 56 entry managed to finish in P10 in the LMGTE AM class, which they initially led before facing driveline issues three hours from the finish.

Jimmie Johnson's comments on finishing in P10 amongst sports car category with NASCAR Garage 56 entry

One of the three drivers who took the wheel of the NASCAR Garage 56 Chevy at the Circuit de la Sarthe, seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson ultimately crossed the finish line in the stock car in France.

A part of the team that led the LMGTE AM sports car category by being over five seconds faster in practice, Johnson elaborated on what finishing in P10 ultimately felt like. He said:

“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.”

Two mechanical gremlins for the team late in the race meant they fell from leading the class to finishing in P10.