UPDATE: Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson put the Hendrick Motorsports-built Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 test car through its latest paces during a session last week at Carolina Motorsports Park.
The 2.279-mile road course hosted the first Garage 56 test since last month’s two-day session at Virginia International Raceway.
“Today was awesome,” Johnson said after the test. “I haven’t been in a stock car since November 8, 2020, at my final (Cup Series) race in Phoenix. To get the invite to shake this car down, to get a feel for it and help Hendrick Motorsports get this Garage 56 program going to get some laps on the car was a huge honor.”
We think this guy knows a thing or two about developing a stock car…
Thanks @JimmieJohnson and @TeamHendrick for helping us shake down the #NextGenG56 car ahead of some crucial tests over the next few months! pic.twitter.com/10NmQz8bLt
— NASCARG56 (@nascarg56) December 16, 2022
Previous post: The testing phase of the Garage 56 test-car prototype penned its latest chapter Monday, sending a loud V-8 rumble through the frigid air in the southern Virginia hills.
The Hendrick Motorsports-built Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 tester debuted Monday at Virginia International Raceway, marking only the program’s second on-track session ahead of a proposed special appearance in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next June.
The troubleshooting process sent the assembled crowds of crew and support personnel scrambling at times, but there were encouraging signs found among the challenges. The track time inched the project another step closer to a potential exhibition entry in the 2023 endurance classic, but also offered a reminder of how early in the process the car’s launch still is.
Sports-car veteran Mike Rockenfeller, a former Le Mans overall winner, was again behind the wheel of the test car. The German road-racing ace also drove in a previous Garage 56 test, wheeling a Camaro prepared by IMSA team Action Express Racing at Road Atlanta on Aug. 29-30.
— NASCAR.com —