The Garage 56 program headed to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 as a curiosity -- a sideshow -- for the teams who compete in the prestigious endurance race each year. Yet, as "American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans" shows, NASCAR left Europe as a respected competitor.
"Don't mess with Americans," Mike Rockenfeller, a two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, says in this feature-length documentary from Prime Video, which is available on Thursday.
This simple line, meant to showcase the determination of NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports amid mechanical adversity, became a bit of a slogan for the entire Garage 56 program and its car.
It was loud, it was brash, it was larger than life. It was the exact opposite of the other entries on the grid, to the point that the other competitors wanted to make special adjustments for the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro.
"I'll never forget the first drivers' meetings," Jimmie Johnson told a select group of media members. "They were trying to put a special light on our car, notify us differently. Other cars would approach us at such a high rate of speed that 'we were going to be in the way.'
"We all took offense to it, and of course, everybody knows how quick the car was."
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The other competitors and the race stewards alike were wary of the NASCAR entry. They approached the project with some sternness, but they left with respect after seeing what Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR had accomplished after more than a year's worth of work.
The most prominent example of this transition was the pit crew competition, which "American Thunder" put in the spotlight. The documentary showed the event where pit crews battled for the best time and bragging rights. It also showed the major differences between NASCAR pit crews and those in other racing series.
While other teams pushed their cars through the paddock area, the Hendrick Motorsports pit crew worked out. They threw medicine balls high in the air. They ran back and forth. They drew so many stares from other teams on the grid that it seemed like a scene out of a Hollywood movie.
It was like "Cool Runnings," only instead of a Jamaican bobsled team turning heads in Calgary with their unexpected arrival to the 1988 Olympic Games, it was an American pit crew garnering all of the attention in France before the biggest race in the world.
And then this pit crew won the competition with an old-school, mechanical jack.
"It was neat," Johnson said in response to a question from AltDriver. "I mean, we had a fair amount of confidence of how we were going to perform with the car, with the crew, and the intentionality of making sure the crew still used a mechanical jack.
"And then, of course, those big strong dudes out there doing calisthenics and working out and all that. It was great, because every time a new team came by to see the cars, see what our crew was doing, you could just see them walk away with great respect of what we had going on and impressed by the project.
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"...We were prepared, and with the resources at Hendrick and the great partnership and collaboration from all, everybody was eager to show off what we could do. Even as far as carrying the jack all the way down the pit lane and standing on the podium, holding the mechanical jack as they were accepting their trophy."
It's understandable for Johnson to have this pride in the Garage 56 program. He's a seven-time Cup Series champion, so it was crucial to represent NASCAR well. He spent his entire career with Hendrick Motorsports, the team that built and tested the Le Mans entry.
Rockenfeller, however, didn't have the same ties. Sure, he had made two Cup Series starts for Spire Motorsports in 2022 and three for Legacy Motor Club in 2023, but he won his championships in the world of sports car racing.
Rockenfeller hails from Europe, yet "American Thunder" showed he also embraced the fiery American spirit while competing alongside Johnson and former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button.
"I mean, for me, as I have been (to Le Mans) many times before, obviously I knew the whole scenery," Rockenfeller said. "So it was nothing was unexpected, but I would say to go there with this unique car, I was blown away by the reactions of everybody.
"And still when I go somewhere in America, when I race in IMSA, it's still every time there's people with the model cars, with autograph cards of us. And yeah, it's just so cool because I was as the -- let's say -- one of the European drivers in this project representing, I would say, the American racing I would call it in my, not country, but where I grew up racing was super cool."
The Garage 56 program did not secure as high of a finishing position as NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports hoped; a driveline swap took the Chevrolet off the track for about an hour. Yet, the program was still a success. After all, it made positive impressions on other competitors, and it completed the grueling race.
The plucky team from NASCAR completed 2,413.095 miles -- the equivalent of four Coca-Cola 600s. The pit crew completed 18 stops over 24 hours.
Johnson raced in the rain at night for the first time in his career, and he did so successfully. He took the checkered flag in the prestigious event and closed out a marathon stretch of driving for himself, Button, and Rockenfeller.
As "American Thunder" showed, they turned the skeptics into believers.
"At home, when you look at your model cars or your race suits, when I look at it now as a full set, I would say this was one of the best, like I said, one of the absolute best experiences of my life," Rockenfellere said. "Including now having a documentary about it, which is super special."