The conversation discusses NASCAR's evolution and its recent venture into the Le Mans race. NASCAR has been modifying its cars to compete more effectively with GTS and prototypes, making them more aerodynamic and faster. The discussion also mentions the NASCAR team's decision to take a ZL1 Camaro stock car to Le Mans, despite the car being heavier and having no doors or headlights.
The team, comprising of NASCAR legend Jimmy Johnson and Le Mans winner Mike Rockefeller, aimed to adapt the car to work at Le Mans. Despite concerns about the car's ability to handle the course, the team managed to qualify the car under the 'garage 56' experimental entry, subjecting it to special rules.
The team made significant modifications to the car, including increasing the engine's horsepower, installing carbon brakes, and adding enormous aero features. Despite these changes, the car was required to maintain the NASCAR look and lack of doors.
The car's performance was impressive, outqualifying the entire GTE field during qualifying. However, the car faced issues during the race, including problems with braking and gearbox explosion. Despite these challenges, the car managed to finish the race.
The race at Le Mans provided a platform for NASCAR to push the boundaries of technology and performance, demonstrating the potential of adapting NASCAR cars for more challenging racing environments.
1. The text discusses a NASCAR stock car that has been adapted to compete at the Le Mans race.
2. The car is a next-generation Camaro, designed to be quicker than Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Porsche.
3. The car has been modified to work at Le Mans, with aerodynamic changes typical for race cars.
4. The car uses F1-style tires and has a rear diffuser, which are new features for stock cars.
5. NASCAR has changed significantly recently, with newer, more aerodynamic cars.
6. The car was driven by NASCAR legend Jimmy Johnson and Jensen Button, who were part of the team.
7. The car was entered under the garage 56 entry, which is an experimental entry.
8. The car was designed to work at Le Mans, with aspirations to beat some of the GTE cars.
9. The car's engine was modified to run at 510 horsepower on fast tracks and 670 horsepower everywhere else.
10. The car's mounted transaxle gearbox was the same as the stock car, but it used a one-style steering wheel with paddle shift.
11. The car's brakes were swapped for full carbon brakes.
12. The car has enormous dive planes on the front, a massive front splitter, and enormous cannons on the rear.
13. The car's Aero was designed to create as much downforce as possible without losing the NASCAR look of the car.
14. The car was designed to run at just under 1500 kilograms, making it 300 kilograms heavier than the GTE cars and 500 kilograms heavier than the hypercars.
15. The car was designed to have headlights, and it drove well, surprising many who thought it would be slow in the Porsche curves.
16. During the race, the car experienced issues with braking and gearbox, which impacted its performance.
17. The car was a fan favorite, with fans able to hear the cars coming from miles away.
18. The car was considered a test bed for new technology.