The idea of linking the American NASCAR scene with Le Mans was not entirely new. In 1978, for example, a Ford Torino and a Dodge Charger with 7-litre V8 engines roared on the Le Mans grid until their gearboxes or engines blew. Due to the meagre turnout in the sports car scene of that time, a special NASCAR class had been created for the Le Mans 24 Hours. The heavyweights were loud as hell, but neither fast nor reliable. Chevrolet's 2023 NASCAR to Le Mans project was of a completely different calibre, as their Camaro was specially built and intensely tested over a year for its unique appearance at the Sarthe.
The Garage 56 project quickly became a crowd favourite on the grandstands thanks to its bearish V8 sound, all the more as Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button and Jimmie Johnson were three more than well-known drivers behind the wheel. The Hendrick Motorsports team had been expected to do well, but the fact that the exotic car, running outside the classification with its rather staid 5.8-litre V8, took four seconds per lap off the works GTE-Am cars in qualifying was enough to raise eyebrows. Even though the Camaro only finished 39th in the race it had fully fulfilled its promotion purpose and gained a lot of popularity.