Getty The Garage 56 pit crew completes a stop during the pit competition.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans does not officially begin until June 10, but NASCAR has already captured a win. The Hendrick Motorsports pit crew won the pit stop challenge for its class.
The competition took place on June 6 as the HMS crew faced off with 16 competitors in the GTE Class. They completed a four-tire stop on the Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro in 10.364 seconds and beat out Northwest AMR by 0.12 seconds. The crew also did so while being the only ones to use a manual jack.
Pit stop competition at #Le Mans….@nascarg56 first up! #NASCAR
The Garage 56 crew won the GTE Class while delivering a fifth-place finish in the overall competition. They finished 0.3 seconds behind the fastest time across all classes.
“It was actually our fastest stop of the day, so I would say I was surprised, but also very pleased,” said Hendrick Motorsports Pit Crew Coach Evan Kureczka.
“You can tell the fans were very impressed with the fact that we were using a jack to jack the car up. You could see the smiles on their faces, we put on a great show for the fans.”
The Garage 56 pit crew features front tire changer Dawson Backus, rear tire changer Mike Moss, jackman Donovan Williams, front tire carrier Cody French, and rear tire carrier Jarius Morehead. Williams was the only jackman in the competition.
The HMS Crew Had a Unique Setup
GettyThe Garage 56 pit crew prepares for the pit stop competition.
The pit stop was not the standard routine that Hendrick Motorsports completes each week of the NASCAR Cup Series season. There was no need for a fueler during this competition.
The fifth person in the group was actually a second tire carrier. Once the crew completed the right side of the car, one tire carrier ran around the rear of the Chevrolet while the other ran around the front. This helped them focus on their respective sections of the car during a high-pressure sequence.
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“This is a special moment to be able to represent Hendrick Motorsports, represent our families, America, and NASCAR as a whole,” Williams said. “We just relied on our training and it came into place instinctively. I think we all just went out there and performed and didn’t think too much.
“That’s what’s special about sports — we all come from athletic backgrounds and were able to lean on that when you talk about canceling out the crowd, locking in, and being in the moment. It was a special moment and we were able to capitalize.”
The Pit Competition Began the Intense Portion of the Schedule
The first few days in France were more casual for the Garage 56 group. There were some simulator sessions for the drivers, a parade, and some free practice sessions. Though the entries also went through scrutineering (inspection).
Now that the pit competition is complete, the intensity will only increase. June 7’s schedule will feature two more practice sessions, as well as the start of qualifying. The top eight cars from each class will advance to June 8’s Hyperpole qualifying session, which will take place between the two final practice sessions.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin on June 10 at 10 a.m. local time. The cars will take the green flag from Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James, and then they will take on the prestigious endurance event.
According to NASCAR Media, crew chief Greg Ives has not determined the driving order for Mike Rockenfeller, Jenson Button, and Jimmie Johnson. That is still in flux. Though Ives said that the plan was to have them do single stints early and then double stints for the majority of the race.