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“The car is so obnoxious. It really is. It’s so loud, so big, so aggressive, and it’s so not Le Mans, but it fits in perfectly because it’s so different from anything else.”
The words of 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button ideally highlight the prevailing mood surrounding a car that has captured the imagination ahead of the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans that takes place this weekend.
The idea of running a NASCAR Cup Series car in an event that for the most part has been the sole reserve of sports cars was first aired two years ago.
The project has finally come to fruition, in the form of a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 run by Hendrick Motorsports. The car features a 5.8-litre small block V8, a larger 32-gallon fuel tank, carbon brakes, and possesses aerodynamic features required for tackling the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Unlike its Cup Series sibling, it is nearly 500lbs lighter and has headlights and taillights, as well as running on wider profile Goodyear tyres.
“It’s a really fun car to drive,” said Button, speaking to this writer in an interview for The New York Times.
The three-time Australian Grand Prix winner added: “It’s one of those cars though, that it’s a lot of work.
“You cross the finish line, you see the lap time you’ve done, and it’s quick. The car is quick, but you don’t think it’s going to be that quick because there’s so much work that goes on, you’re fighting it all the time.
“You’re doing hand movements the whole time trying to catch oversteer, big understeer in places. It’s a workout. It really is. And I think that’s why we find it fun.
“We always come in laughing like ‘What the hell? This thing is nuts’. And it is.”
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Drifting to feature at Le Mans
Highlighting a feature of the car that will rarely have been seen at Le Mans, Button said: “The way that the tyres work, because it’s a NASCAR tyre just a bit bigger, it feels that you get the tyre hot, and then you just slide around. You think you’re going to have massive tyre wear, but you don’t.
“I think people are going to enjoy it because they’re going to see the car drifting, and you don’t see cars drifting at Le Mans because the tyre damage is too high.
“But with these tyres, they don’t really get damaged by oversteer. We’ll be drifting this car a lot through the Porsche Curves and other places around the lap. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
In preparation for Le Mans, the car was tested at numerous venues in the United States, including a full 24-hour test at Sebring International Raceway in Florida.
In terms of lap time, it was 10 seconds faster over a lap of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
Serving as a standalone entry for Garage 56, a slot that since 2012 has been reserved for concept cars and projects that are not part of the official competition, it has no direct rival.
The aim, however, was to be on the pace of the GT class of cars. Around Le Mans, one of Button’s two team-mates in veteran Mike Rockenfeller, who won in 2010 with Audi, qualified 41st, 4.4s faster than the quickest LMGTE Am in a Chevrolet Corvette.
Qualifying is one thing, racing this weekend will be another, with Button highlighting the difficulties the big Camaro will pose.
“It’s a very controllable car, which is great,” said Button, who will also be partnered by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. “It gives you confidence, which is nice, and it’s got traction control.
“I guess the only issue for us will be high speed because it is heavy. Changing direction, it’s a lot lazier than a prototype and a lot lazier than a GT car even.
“So I think the Porsche Curves is the one where we will need to be very careful of who’s around us.
“The low-speed corners, I think the car’s very good, and on the straights we should be fine as well, in terms of we’re not too slow, we’re not too fast. We’re about right with the GT car.
“High-speed corners will be the issue. People going around the outside of us will just have to be a little bit careful because the car wanders a little bit. It’s not as precise as what people are used to.
“And also we haven’t driven with other cars so we don’t know what happens to the aero. That’s another thing that we’ll be learning at Le Mans.”
Le Mans providing a showcase for NASCAR
Naturally, as with entry at Le Mans, the goal is ultimately to see the chequered flag.
For the entire team behind the project, however, there is also a bigger picture.
“To finish, that’s a big deal,” claimed Button. “This car is not built to do 24 hours, or a Cup car isn’t anyway. They’re four-hour maximum races.
“So getting to the finish for anyone at Le Mans, you’re competing against the circuit. That’s the big thing.
“For 24 hours, it’s a tough, tough track on cars and drivers, so that’s the main goal for the whole team.
“And then it’s about putting on a good show. For the team, for NASCAR, it’s a big deal, and hopefully, it’ll bring more fans to the sport.
“I think people are really going to enjoy watching this car race against prototypes.”
