NASCAR has begun testing the Next Gen car it will take to Le Mans in 2023 as a Garage 56 entry, with Action Express Racing running a test mule at Road Atlanta in Georgia.
Day ✌️
Test driver Mike Rockenfeller is pushing this test #NextGen56 car to the limit on the second day of our initial test. pic.twitter.com/1H6XVxIhyH
— NASCARG56 (@nascarg56) August 30, 2022
The car is being developed by Hendrick Motorsport and Chevrolet. Chad Knaus, VP of competition at Hendrick, explained, “As we move forward, this test is actually really critical. We’re going to gather a lot of information; we’re going to be able to take that home start to dissect it and make sound decisions on what we want to do with tire construction, gearbox construction, the ratios.
“[We can then] apply those to the design features of the car that we have in the tube because right now this racecar basically lives in the computer. Coming here with Action Express with a test car, I think is really critical. We’ve got Goodyear, who’s one of our major partners, with different tire designs and tire constructions. We’re really trying to be diligent and paying attention to every single component. So as we get this information pumped in there, we’ll figure out where the performance enhancements need to be continued to evolve it and continue to make the car perform better.”
"To be here now, the first guy to drive the test car for the project, I think that's an honor."
Test driver Mike Rockenfeller talks about his first experience with the #NextGen56 test car! pic.twitter.com/1t8dKoO4AI
— NASCARG56 (@nascarg56) August 30, 2022
