Garage 56 Follow up
Just three weeks before the 2023 NASCAR season gets underway, a major update from Garage56 comes across the wires. We now know the wheelmen driving NASCAR’s entry into the centenary Le Mans race. Behind the wheel of the modified Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button, and Mike Rockenfeller. These three men combined bring decades of driving experience to NASCAR’s entry, each with their own successes in their respective divisions.
Jimmie Johnson is a 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and now part-owner in LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (formerly Petty GMS). After his retirement from NASCAR at the conclusion of the 2020 season, he spent some time driving for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar where he earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes across two seasons. During his time in NASCAR’s highest series, Johnson had 83 wins and 232 top-five finishes out of his total 686 entries. With his buy in to LEGACY MC, he also gets some additional wheel time back in the Cup Series, most notably at Daytona later this month. Johnson brings arguably the most relevant driver experience to the Garage56 entry with his proven record in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Jenson Button is a former F1 champion with over thirty years of experience. From karts to Formula 1, Button has plenty of trophies to display, including championships in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, Formula Ford, and Autobacs Super GT Series. He’s laid down multiple fastest laps throughout his F1 career. His average podium percentage over the course of his career is 21.7%. To put that in perspective, Button reached the podium at least once every five races.
Experience with the Le Mans race itself comes to the team in the form of Mike Rockenfeller. Rockenfeller can boast two Le Mans wins as his contribution to the team. During his time in the American Le Mans Series, he drove his way to a podium finish almost every other time he raced. He saw the most success in the 24 Hours of Le Mans races when he wheeled an Audi. He finished 1st, 3rd, and 4th during those races. His first-place finish came in the 2010 race when he led 133 of the 397 laps. Starting from the top ten all his Audi years certainly contributed to the success he saw. Rockenfeller is also the youngest in this team of drivers so hopefully his age and specific winning experience translate into a productive drive for NASCAR’s Garage56 entry.
Johnson, Button, and Rockenfeller will benefit from the coaching expertise of four-time IMSA champion Jordan Taylor. Taylor boasts a top five in the championships since 2014, including championship winning seasons in 2017 and 2021. While wheeling his way to a championship in 2017, Taylor also created and fostered a separate online persona, Rodney Sandstorm. This alter ego has been spotted at NASCAR tracks across the country and featured in Dirty Mo Media’s Video Jorts. In fact, Sandstorm is arguably as popular as – if not more than – Taylor. Regardless of which persona appears at the Le Mans race, the trio of drivers have a backup who brings a winning attitude and a winning record with him.
To catch all the action, race fans can watch the 24-hour race via ESPN this year. Twelve hours of the live race will broadcast on ESPN2. The full race will air on the ESPN app and ESPN.com. For Canadian fans, live coverage of the race can be found on Discovery Velocity. However you watch, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be prime racing entertainment. Sure, the NASCAR entry won’t win, but sometimes it really is just an honor to compete.
