Richard “Rick” Hendrick’s stable has long been the cradle of champions; among them, Jimmie Johnson emerged in 2002 as a young driver in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 48 program, eventually claiming seven NASCAR Cup Series championships under Hendrick’s umbrella. Johnson’s rapport with Rick Hendrick deepened over nearly two decades of collaboration, shaping him into a driver known for calm under pressure and a relentless work ethic. During that time, Hendrick’s garage refined setups for short tracks, superspeedways, and everything in between, instilling in Johnson an appreciation for engineering ingenuity and adaptability.
After stepping away from full-time NASCAR in 2020, Johnson pursued new challenges, most notably in IndyCar and sports cars, which broadened his view of vehicle dynamics and international racing cultures. But his biggest moment came in 2023 when he came to know that he would represent NASCAR at Le Mans. “When Rick (Hendrick) called, I couldn’t resist the opportunity. It’s been a big dream of mine to go to Le Mans and compete and experience what Le Mans is all about.”
Hendrick Motorsports, in collaboration with NASCAR, Goodyear, IMSA, and Chevrolet, entered the 8.467-mile Circuit de la Sarthe with the Garage 56 entry. It is a special class that showcases experimental projects at the biggest event, and Johnson, in Partnership with HMS, made a statement in front of a global audience. We’ve heard the stories about how Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Jenson Button rolled through the track on the 100th anniversary of the event. But the actual magic happened behind the scenes, and once again, the mastermind was Chad Knaus.
Hendrick’s engineering the Camaro for endurance
The heart of this story lies in Hendrick Motorsport’s bold transformation of a Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 into a Le Mans contender, a move that surprised European teams accustomed to specialized prototypes. Jimmie Johnson recalled the first challenge. “Watching Chad and Hendrick Motorsports adapt the car for the environment, you need a much bigger fuel cell. Where do you put that? That’s a traditional NASCAR vehicle.” Indeed, the team installed a 32-gallon cell, significantly larger than Cup-spec, to handle 24-hour stints, repositioning it centrally for balance. This wasn’t mere speculation. ACO regulations and past tests showed endurance races demand extended range, and moving the tank also improved weight distribution compared to a stock car’s layout.
This wasn’t your typical stock car.
NASCAR to Le Mans presented by @GoodyearRacing premieres tonight at 7 p.m. ET on the NASCAR Channel and YouTube. pic.twitter.com/8yNCofvq6D
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 17, 2025
Johnson highlighted another core issue, weight. “One big aspect we had was the weight. We need to get weight out of the car. And so, with a big fuel cell on it, to watch the car kind of more fully come together and the performance behind it was really a lot of fun.” Hendrick engineers stripped roughly 525 lb through carbon-fiber panels, lighter wheels, and chassis tweaks, bringing the Camaro close to GTE-class mass targets (around 1,342 kg versus the Cup car’s ~1,451 kg). They added headlights, taillights, and endurance-grade brakes, then recalibrated suspension and aerodynamics, dive planes and bodywork tweaks to blend NASCAR robustness with Le Mans agility. Johnson’s phrase “really surprised me in what it could do” reflects practice sessions where the modified Camaro posted sector times competitive with GTE rivals, catching many by surprise.
Beyond engineering, the cultural impact “shook Europe to its core.” Johnson noted, “The interest that other competitors had in this car was something that I’ll never forget. We certainly had a chip on our shoulders because, internationally, you know, NASCAR guys don’t feel like we’re as respected as we probably should be. To not only outrun the GT cars but to annoy all the LMPT cars as we did, people just couldn’t believe it.” During the race, the Camaro ran respectably in its class before a driveline issue ended its bid, but it demonstrated that a stock car–derived package could challenge specialized machines in pace and durability.
On NASCAR’s 75th year anniversary, they were able to showcase their might in engineering and build a racing platform that was made for the twists and turns of a road course, not just ovals. While the fans at home couldn’t witness this historic moment can witness this journey on Amazon Prime.
American Thunder adds to Prime Video’s NASCAR efforts
Prime Video has taken it upon itself to provide NASCAR fans with innovative streaming of live races and also bring the storytelling aspect back to the sport. They are a part of the mega $7.7 billion media rights deal and have begun with their five-race streaming stint, which is widely appreciated by the racing community. However, their efforts beyond broadcast are also making a sizeable impact. It all started with the Earnhardt docuseries, a thoughtful, raw and honest depiction of Dale Earnhardt. Not just the racer, but they even shed light on the human part of Earnhardt’s personality. It wasn’t pretty, yet it struck a note with NASCAR’s faithful. And now, they’ve delivered again.
“American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans,” showcases a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration with industry leaders at the 2023 24 Hours of LeMans. “Ordinarily, when there’s a documentary crew, it can be kind of an irritation because you’re trying to work. You’re trying to win a race. And there was a different agenda with this project. I think it might be the most relaxed docu-style or honestly documentary series. The camera crews were there as we were trying to invite them in to show how unique this experience was, and all the work, effort and energy that went into it,” Johnson said in a press release.
Prime Video want to establish itself as the trusted media partner of the sport, and while they aren’t doing the heavy lifting in terms of the number of races for broadcast, they are making up for it with such projects. This Garage 56 docuseries is live for the fans to witness and enjoy on Amazon Prime Video.
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