Full specs revealed for NASCAR Garage 56 Camaro that will race 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023 SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Tampa: Chase Sexton and Cooper Webb close in
NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports have unveiled full specifications for their Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which will compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
During the Daytona International Speedway victory strip announcement, the Next Gen livery for the June 10-11 race was also revealed.
Although the car will be equipped with functioning headlights and taillights for the world’s biggest 24-hour race, the systems and components of the Le Mans model are very similar to the Next Gen car.
Somewhat surprisingly, the specifications of the Garage 56 car will also include the same naturally aspirated cast iron small-block V8 engine as the Cup car.
GARAGE 56 VS. NEXT GENERATION: Click here to compare Cup and Le Mans performance.
The Garage 56 Camaro will feature a larger 12-gallon fuel tank, carbon fiber brake discs and custom-designed tires. The Le Mans car is 2 inches longer than the Cup car and the same width, but over 500 pounds lighter (2960 pounds vs. Cup’s 3485 pounds).
“From the very beginning of this project, it has been important to us that the car we bring to Le Mans is a true NASCAR stock car,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France. “While some changes have been made to allow the car to compete in the 24 Hour Endurance Race, fans at Le Mans will get the full NASCAR experience.”
Development spanned over 3,600 miles in six tests – Road Atlanta, Virginia International Raceway, Goodyear Proving Grounds, Carolina Motorsports Park, Sebring International Raceway and Daytona International Speedway.
GARAGE 56 ANSWERS, ANALYSIS: More on NASCAR-Hendrick’s 24 Hours of Le Mans bid
ON THE BUTTON: Formula One champion enjoys NASCAR show
Following the announcement that Hendrick and NASCAR (in partnership with Chevrolet and Goodyear) would enter the Camaro in the world’s biggest endurance race, many speculated that the car’s powerplant would have some electrification components.
Since its introduction in 2012, Garage 56 participation in Le Mans traditionally known for innovation and technological advancesoften with alternative propulsion systems powered by biofuels and hydrogen.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Series (owned by NASCAR) introduced hybrid engines to its main prototype category this season, and it’s likely that the technology will eventually reach the Cup Series.
Ready to hit Le Mans in style. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/95a0KfhYno
— Hendrick Motorsport (@TeamHendrick) February 17, 2023
During a press conference in March 2022 to announce the Garage 56, ACO President Pierre Fillon said that NASCAR CEO Jim France had pitched a Garage 56 idea based on the Next Gen concept with a future hybrid system. According to SportsCar365.comFillon later confirmed that the Camaro would likely need a hybrid powertrain.
The line-up of the car’s pilots was presented three weeks ago in Dayton. 2009 Formula One champion Jenson Button joined seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller.
Courtesy of NASCAR, here are the latest photos of the Garage 56 car at the Hendrick Motorsports shop:
It’s impossible to win every week in the Monster Energy Supercross series, and knowing how not to go to the limit is a big part of Eli Tomac’s success in the sport and why he’s topping the SuperMotocross Power rankings again after Tampa.
By Tomac’s standards, the past week has been a disappointing one. He failed to win the main for only the second time this season and was more than 30 seconds behind the pace by the end of 25 laps. But bad by Tomac’s standards is a decent day for most other riders, and he finished fifth in this standings after standing on the podium in his heat behind two top three riders in the main heat. Tomac knew the conditions weren’t right for him, and rather than risk injury, he maintained his points lead.
Aggressive riding got Jason Anderson to where he is, but an ongoing feud with Justin Barcia threatens to put his season in jeopardy. Anderson is currently on probation following an incident in Tampa that sent Barcia to the ground. Anderson finished sixth, but with his consistent podium finishes, more was expected in Tampa.
MORE: Cooper Webb Wins in Tampa, Closes Points Gap
Chase Sexton has a few lessons yet to be learned. Riders can’t discount the need for experience that showed up last week when Sexton waited too long to find the best trajectory through whoops. He crossed, sliding over the tops of the bumps, and caught the edge that sent him down. With a second-place finish at Tampa, he remains one of two riders with a perfect lead over the top five in five rounds.
Cooper Webb is another rider with an impeccable top-five record, but despite his previous four strong runs, he told NBC Sports last week that the only way to catch up on Tomac is to win. He made Webb err, but he felt he could have gotten past him without it. In the previous two championship years, 2019 and 2021, he had many wins after taking his first win of the season. Webb closed the gap on Tomac and currently two behind after six rounds.
Ken Roczen skates well, finishing in the top five four times and finishing eighth, but he’s starting to lose contact with the leaders. While Roczen is currently 21 points behind first, Webb’s results last week show just how quickly things can change.
450 ratings
| This A week |
Rider | Power Avg. |
Last A week |
Diff. |
| 1. | So Tomac [3 Main; 3 Heat Wins] |
84.58 | 1 | 0 |
| 2. | Jason Anderson [3 Heat Wins] |
82.75 | 2 | 0 |
| 3. | Chase Sexton [1 Main; 4 Heat Wins] |
82.67 | 5 | 2 |
| 4. | Cooper Webb [1 Main] |
82.42 | 3 | -1 |
| 5. | Ken RoczenMore | 81.25 | 4 | -1 |
| 6. | Aaron Plessinger | 74.17 | 7 | 1 |
| 7. | Dylan Ferrandis | 71.60 | 6 | -1 |
| 8. | Justin Barcia | 70.50 | 8 | 0 |
| 9. | Justin Cooper | 68.00 | 9 | 0 |
| 10. | Adam Cianciarulo | 67.67 | 10 | 0 |
| eleven. | Marvin Maskin | 61.00 | 12 | 1 |
| 12. | Joey Savatgy | 60.50 | eleven | -1 |
| 13. | Christian Craig | 59.33 | 14 | 1 |
| 14. | Malcolm Stewart [1 Heat Win] |
58.75 | 13 | -1 |
| 15. | Colt Nichols | 56.92 | 15 | 0 |
| 16. | Dean Wilson | 50.08 | 16 | 0 |
| 17. | Cole Thompson | 47.50 | WHAT | |
| 18. | Justin Hill | 41.91 | 17 | -1 |
| 19. | Shane McElrath | 38.36 | 18 | -1 |
| 20. | Fredrik Noren | 34.40 | 21 | 1 |
Supercross 450 points
Here is your updated scoring position after round 6️⃣ @Inhuman Energy Supercross 📋#SupercrossLIVE #SuperMotocross pic.twitter.com/sOWIMi2fkA
Supercross Live! (@supercrosslive) February 13, 2023
Hunter Lawrence had a poor start to Tampa last week, finishing the first lap outside the top five. By lap 4, he was in fourth place, but really started to bounce back when the field faced congested traffic. As soon as he could see race leader Nate Thrasher, Lawrence found another pass and caught him with one of them. The highlight video at the end of the season will show the last two corners as the leaders battled for a spot, with Lawrence leading for the first time in the last corner of the final lap.
Max Anstie has been given a new lease of life by moving up to the 250cc class. Consecutive podiums put him in second place among the Eastern riders and in third place overall. The only thing missing is a hit or major win, and when that happens, Anstey will be mentioned as Lawrence’s top contender for the championship.
Supercross 250 points
No one was sure that Hayden Deegan’s fourth place in Houston was an accident, including the rider himself. Before the race, he told NBC Sports that there was no pressure to keep his top five in Texas. Riding freely and comfortably, Deegan repeated his debut result and finished third in points.
Jeremy Martin quietly finished fifth in a row in the first two rounds of the 250 East division. It’s easy to go unnoticed when the Lawrence brothers do aerial acrobatics. Along with a pair of top fives last year before he was injured, Martin now has four in a row.
It looks like the podium is just around the corner for MXGP champion turned SX star Tom Vialle. His major seventh and sixth place finishes didn’t serve him well in the points fight, but Vialle raced well in his heats. His Achilles heel at the moment may be going a little overboard in an attempt to make a strong first impression on American fans.
250 ratings
| This A week |
Rider | Power Avg. |
Last A week |
Diff. |
| 1 | Hunter Lawrence – E [2 Main; 2 Heat Wins] |
91.75 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | Jett Lawrence – W [2 Main; 2 Heat Wins] |
89.13 | 4 | 2 |
| 3 | Max Ansty – E | 86.00 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Hayden Deegan – E [1 Heat Win] |
84.75 | 5 | 1 |
| 5 | Jeremy Martin – E | 79.25 | 7 | 2 |
| 6 | Tom Vialle – E | 78.00 | 7 | 1 |
| 7 | Cameron McAdoo – W [1 Heat Win] |
77.63 | 6 | -1 |
| 8 | Mitchell Oldenburg – F | 77.00 | 7 | -1 |
| 9 | Stiles Robertson – W [1 Heat Win] |
76.75 | eleven | 2 |
| 9 | Nate Thrasher – E [1 Heat Win] |
76.75 | 21 | 12 |
| eleven | Jordon Smith – E [1 Heat Win] |
75.75 | 2 | -9 |
| eleven | Chance Hymas – E | 75.75 | 12 | 1 |
| 13 | Michael Mosiman – E | 74.75 | 7 | -6 |
| 14 | Levi Kitchen – W [1 Main] |
73.75 | 13 | -1 |
| 15 | R.J. Hampshire – F [3 Heat Wins] |
70.00 | 14 | -1 |
| 16 | Max Woland – F | 69.29 | 15 | -1 |
| 17 | Derek Kelly – W | 63.75 | 18 | 1 |
| 18 | Enzo Lopez – F | 63.25 | 19 | 1 |
| 19 | Piers Brown – W | 61.29 | 20 | 1 |
| 20 | Phil Nicoletti – W | 59.25 | 22 | 2 |
*NBC Power Rankings awards 100 points to the Main Event winner and 90 points for each heat and Triple Crown wins (Triple Crown wins are included in heat wins under the driver’s name). Points are reduced by a percentage equal to the number of riders on the field until the last placed rider in each event has received five points. Power Ranking is the average of these percentage points over the last 45 days.
STRENGTH RANKING AFTER WEEK 4 IN HOUSTON: Eli Tomac regains lead after recovering from A2 crash
POWER RATING AFTER WEEK 3 IN…
Source: motorsports.nbcsports.com
