The 24 Hours of Le Mans is complete, but the Garage 56 program is not done. NASCAR will bring it back for the prestigious Goodwood Festival of Speed.
A press release announced the news on July 11 and confirmed that two of the Garage 56 program drivers will be in attendance for the event in West Sussex, England. Jenson Button and Mike Rockenfeller will share driving duties on July 13-16.
Checking in from @fosgoodwood.
“The Garage 56 program has been an overwhelming success for us in further introducing motorsports fans from around the world to NASCAR,” said John Doonan, IMSA President and Garage 56 Program Manager, in a press release.
“Taking the Garage 56 car to the Goodwood Festival of Speed gives us another chance to bring the world of stock cars to fans of a wide variety of motorsports.”
Cars From NASCAR Have Previously Made Appearances
GettyA Red Bull Racing stock car does burnouts at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2023, highlights motorsports and car culture. There are numerous drivers that take part as they do burnouts and make runs up the nine-turn, 1.16-mile hill climb.
The Garage 56 program will have multiple appearances throughout the weekend, and it will continue the tradition of NASCAR-affiliated cars taking part in the annual celebration of motorsports.
There are several stock cars that have made the trip to England over the years. This includes a DeWalt Ford Taurus, a UPS Ford Taurus, and Bobby Griffin’s No. 87 with a Darlington Raceway scheme.
The 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed, in particular, had some special guests. Rusty Wallace was on hand with his Miller Lite Dodge while Mike Skinner brought his Red Bull Racing Toyota. Taylor Earnhardt drove the No. 3 Goodwrench Chevrolet while Landon Cassill drove the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet.
Roger Penske Made a Special Appearance at Goodwood in 2021
GettyNASCAR cars line up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed was a special event for The Captain. Goodwood saluted legends of motorsports by announcing the “The Maestros — Motorsports Great All-Rounders” theme.
Roger Penske was one of the special guests as Goodwood celebrated his racing career and countless achievements in motorsports. Another of the honorees was six-time Le Mans winner, Dakar champion, and eight-time Formula 1 race winner Jacky Ickx.
The Captain, Roger Penske, is here at Goodwood with a fleet of his old racers. We caught up with him for a chat. #FOS
Click the link below to watch FOS 2021 live
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There were more than 11 iconic vehicles from Penske’s career as a driver and owner on hand for the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The list included Team Penske’s first Indy 500 entry from 1969, the four-wheel-drive Lola T152, and the McLaren M16B representing the first of the team’s 18 Indy 500 wins.
Other cars were the Penske PC-23 that Al Unser Jr. used to win the 1994 Indy 500 after leading 48 laps, the Pontiac Catalina that Penske used to win at Riverside in 1963, and the Dodge that Ryan Newman used to win the 2008 Daytona 500.
Penske took part in the festival by making a run up the hill climb course. He drove the Porsche RS Spyder that won the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring.
Penske previously made an appearance at Goodwood in 1963 when he raced a Ferrari 250 GTO against Jim Clark in the RAC TT Celebration race.
“I have wonderful memories of racing at Goodwood in 1963 and am honored to be invited to return this summer,” Penske said in 2021. “I am very much looking forward to sharing in the celebrations with Goodwood’s passionate fans as they return for the 2021 Festival of Speed.”
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NASCAR’s Garage 56 Program Returns for Another Special Event