Prime Video has unveiled the trailer for American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans, a documentary about a historic Nascar entry in the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours. The film, which will be available in more than 240 countries from 12 June, looks back at Nascar President Jim France’s ambitious plan to enter a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the centenary edition of the classic race.

Produced by NASCAR Studios and Hendrick Motorsports, American Thunder traces the 18 months of preparation needed to transform a car designed for the American oval into a machine capable of enduring 24 hours of racing. The documentary follows this unique adventure with three renowned drivers at the wheel: Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller.

Spoiler Alert! We all remember that the #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 won the hearts of the fans. The drivers demonstrated the speed of this car by placing it ahead of those in the LMGTE Am category at the end of qualifying. In the end, the car finished 39th overall. Transmission problems at the end of the race hampered its performance.

While you wait for the documentary to be released, take the Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for an in-car lap and enjoy the roar of its V8 engine in the video below. 

What’s Happening?

The NASCAR Garage 56 project at Le Mans captured the attention of motorsports fans worldwide in 2023, and now, it’s set to reach an even broader audience through a dedicated documentary series. Officially announced on April 22, the series will premiere on Prime Video on June 12.

The newly released trailer briefly highlights the rich history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and NASCAR’s entry into the event. It includes footage from 1976, when NASCAR appeared at the legendary Circuit de la Sarthe, offering fans a rare look at the origins of this connection.

The documentary promises an in-depth look behind the scenes of the Garage 56 project, chronicling the preparation, challenges, and significance of NASCAR’s participation in one of the most iconic motorsport events.

You can learn more details about the Garage 56 documentary and its story HERE.

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Denny Hamlin wants NASCAR to step in after Ross Chastain made a controversial block during the NASCAR Cup Series Talladega race this past weekend. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin called for NASCAR enforcement after Chastain’s block.

“I’m a little frustrated by it because I’ve seen it getting a little bit out of control and I would like to see something said about the unsafe merging that the drivers are doing intentionally to block oncoming cars that are approaching him,” Hamlin said. “They’re not up to speed yet. We got this line of cars going, and so they just said ‘Okay, I’m just going to swerve back and forth until somebody checks up or gets crashed.’”

Denny Hamlin did not have the best day at Talladega

Denny Hamlin also suggested that a black flag should have come out after the Chastain block. “I don’t know why in NASCAR if you can have someone black flagged for forcing you below the yellow line to stop them from passing you, why can’t we stop the guy that is swerving at 150 miles per hour when the pack is coming at 190, who’s trying to cause a wreck?” Denny Hamlin asked. “He’s trying to get you to check up and then cause chaos, get you tagged from behind, just cause chaos.”

Hamlin and the Toyota cars were planning to make a run around the rest of the field before Chastain made his block. It turned out to be a good move as the end of the race set up a Ford vs. Chevrolet finish.

“I didn’t know how far up we were actually going to be able to get, but certainly the 1 [Ross Chastain], you know, making a move there to kinda wreck us is not ideal, but I mean, he’s trying to do everything he can to stop the run,” Hamlin told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports after the race. “The variance of speed there was crazy.”

Hamlin did not have a great performance at Talladega as he earned a P21 finish. It comes after Hamlin finished in the top five in the last four races. Ross Chastain notched a P20 finish at Talladega. He earned top-10 finishes in the previous three races.

This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series is heading to Texas Motor Speedway for some Wild West action on the track. On the track, we are going to see a number of great paint schemes. Hopefully, the racing improves, too.

NASCAR fans are dying for a compelling race. Could Texas deliver that? The track has aged a ton over the last few years; we saw how difficult it was for drivers to keep themselves from spinning out.

Will we see any of these great schemes go into the wall this Sunday? A few of them are almost too pretty to wreck.

Ross Chastain No. 1 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy

Tootsies Orchid Lounge is back this weekend to party all night long in Texas! Ross Chastain debuts this new purple flame design this week. I love it!

A black and purple race car is almost always going to get high marks from me. Tooties has done it once again and so has Trackhouse. 10/10.

Justin Haley No. 7 Katz Coffee Chevy

This is a nice paint scheme with a local sponsor on the car. Justin Haley’s team is going through a little bit of change lately. That’s to put it lightly.

Spire Motorsports keeps pulling in new sponsors. This black and green design is nice. The cream colored roof really pulls it all together. 7.5/10.

Kyle Busch No. 8 7-Eleven Chevy

I didn’t know that a 7-Eleven car could look this good. Kyle Busch brings out a new paint scheme this weekend, and it is another one of my favorites. There are a lot of great designs this week.

While the 8 next to the 7 makes it a little confusing, it otherwise flows very nicely. Now if only RCR could give this man a sub-10-second pit crew. 8.5/10.

Chase Elliott No. 9 NAPA 100 Chevy

A very special paint scheme this weekend for Chase Elliott. NAPA is celebrating 100 years, and that means it is time to break out the champagne….gold design for this weekend’s NASCAR race.

Chase won his last race at Texas a year ago. Will he defend his race win with this golden design? 100/10.

Josh Berry No. 21 Würth Ford

The title sponsor of this weekend’s NASCAR race, Würth, is on the 21 car of Josh Berry this weekend. A win already this season, is Berry a dark horse candidate for Texas?

Berry has a really nice look on this car. The Wood Brothers’ take on this sponsor and scheme adds just enough difference to make it stand out. Really solid. 8/10.

Riley Herbst No. 35 BeatBox Toyota

While he hasn’t had the best days on the track, Riley Herbst is back with a new sponsor. His cars have looked pretty good this season, at the very least.

Another colorful look, BeatBox graces the No. 35 for this week’s NASCAR action. If you don’t know what BeatBox is, ask the college student in your life to explain it to you. 8/10.

Cole Custer No. 41 Red Baron Ford

Red Baron back in NASCAR? Someone call Ken Schrader! Cole Custer brings the Red Baron Stuffed pizza this week for Texas. Hope he has enough for everyone on Sunday.

Custer would like to have a solid run this weekend. He hasn’t had the best return to the Cup Series in 2025. Haas Factory Team keeps pulling in new partners for the season, though. 8.5/10.

Tyler Reddick No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota

This one is going to get Tyler Reddick a lot of brownie points at home. On the Jordan Brand No. 45, Reddick will carry his wife’s name, Alexa, on the name rail.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the first Jordan shoe, this scheme represents so much about the history of the brand. It also honors Tyler’s wife ahead of Mother’s Day weekend. I’m not sure if the car is supposed to look like diamonds, but it does to me. 9.5/10.

Chad Finchum No. 66 Hart HVAC & Electric Ford

How about Chad Finchum back in the No. 66 car. Garage 66 is teaming up with Hart HVAC & Electric for this weekend. Winsupply out Fort Worth appears on the car as well.

I like these black paint schemes with pops of color. Red and blue really makes this one come together. Hope Finchum has a good run out there in this Ford. 7.5/10.

Daniel Suárez No. 99 Kubota Chevy

All of the Mexican accoutrements on this Kubota scheme make it one of my favorites every season. Trackhouse really does know how to make some great paint schemes.

Daniel Suárez is looking for his first win of the NASCAR season. Texas will have plenty of Daniel’s Amigos in attendance. Maybe he can bring out the Luchador mask again. 9/10.

Flora Sanchez

May 1, 2025

Xumo, Comcast’s and Charter’s streaming joint venture, May 1 announced that the NASCAR Channel, NASCAR’s official FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channel, will launch on Xumo Play. The channel offers race fans around-the-clock NASCAR content, including classic races, re-airs of the season’s events, original series, documentaries and more.

NASCAR’s FAST channel will anchor a new comprehensive hub for all things NASCAR across Xumo’s streaming devices, Xumo Stream Box and Xumo TV. Whether it’s re-aired races, behind-the-scenes stories from NASCAR Studios, or fan-favorite video podcasts, the new destination will bring together NASCAR-related programming available across streaming apps, giving viewers an easy way to dive deep into the culture, history and adrenaline of the sport. Users can easily access the destination by saying “NASCAR” into their Xumo voice remote.

“Our new partnership with NASCAR marks an exciting new chapter for our brand and for motorsports fans everywhere,” said Fern Feistel, Vice president of marketing at Xumo. “Whether watching at home or live at the track we’re making it easy for fans to enjoy all the adrenaline and drama of NASCAR through the launch of the NASCAR FAST channel, our NASCAR hub, and on-site experiences. This partnership is just the beginning of how Xumo is redefining the future of NASCAR streaming content.”

In addition to the at-home experiences, Xumo will have a physical presence at multiple NASCAR races throughout the season, starting with the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway the weekend of May 4. Fans in attendance can stop by the Xumo ‘Easy Street Pit Stop,’ where they’ll be able to charge their phones, enjoy snacks and refreshments, and stay cool to recharge throughout the weekend’s events.

“Our partnership with Xumo represents an important step in expanding NASCAR’s digital footprint and making our sport more accessible to fans across multiple platforms,” said John Dahl, NASCAR SVP of content. “The launch of the NASCAR Channel on Xumo Play is the first of many exciting projects we have planned together.”

The NASCAR Channel joins a host of other sports-focused options on Xumo Play including The NBA Channel, NBC Sports NOW, NFL Channel, PBR RidePass, and PGA TOUR. In addition to streaming through Xumo TVs and Xumo Stream Boxes, Xumo Play is available on all major streaming platforms including Amazon, Android, Apple, Roku, Samsung, Sony, Xfinity, Xumo and more.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch was hyped for NASCAR greatness long before he was a teenager by his Hall of Fame nominee brother, who vowed, “If you think I’m good, wait until you see my little brother.”

Busch’s debut in a NASCAR national series race was delayed, though, when he turned up at California Speedway in 2001 intent to run the Truck Series race. He dominated practice in a race sponsored by Marlboro but, because he was only 16 at the time, was ruled ineligible to compete over NASCAR’s interpretation of the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

The MSA prohibited individuals under 18 from participating in events sponsored by tobacco companies. And because NASCAR at the time was sponsored by Winston, the series eventually adopted its own rule six weeks later implementing a minimum age requirement of 18 that began in 2002.

Busch had no choice but to move to the American Speed Association National Tour, and then ARCA after graduating early from his Las Vegas high school.

Fast-forward to Friday, when Busch celebrates his 40th birthday as a two-time Cup Series champion, headed to Texas Motor Speedway with 232 national series victories. Kurt Busch, his older brother by seven years and a nominee last week to next year’s Hall of Fame class, has one Cup title and 43 career national series victories.

Busch can now laugh at his experience 24 years ago at California Speedway, where he went on to win five Cup races, including the last one in 2023 before the track was shuttered by NASCAR.

“Shut that place down,” he said, noting the irony that he’s now sponsored by Zone nicotine pouches, which has an additional relationship with online retailer Nicokick. “Full circle moment.”

Busch celebrated his birthday early — over the Easter weekend, which was NASCAR’s only break of the 38-race schedule — with a vacation with his wife, Samantha. They left their two children at home, and Samantha made a heartfelt social media post honoring her husband.

“Early celebration for Kyle’s big 4-0, love ya babe,” Samantha wrote, sharing a picture of herself and her husband at dinner on a beachfront. In a separate image, Kyle could also be seen with a small chocolate cake in front of him, with a candle burning.

Busch said he and Samantha “made the most of it” even though he finds it difficult to unwind.

“Just a nice little quiet time, tried to disconnect, that’s not easy for me to do,” Busch said. “So I’m still kind of doing some work from afar, emails and things like that.”

And as for turning 40? Well, he wasn’t exactly thrilled. Busch is in his 23rd season in the Cup Series, and although he joined Richard Childress Racing in 2023 and won three races, he went winless in Cup last year for the first time in his career and missed the playoffs. His losing streak headed to Texas is an eye-popping 67 races.

“I remember turning 30 and thinking that was going to be it,” Busch said. “It is what it is. Samantha has made the best of that for me, where we celebrated my birthday on that trip. I don’t feel much older than I did five, six years ago. So that’s the good part of it. And I’m in pretty decent shape, so thankful for all of that.”

Busch briefly considered retirement at the end of the 2022 season when he parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he for now is the winningest driver in team history with Denny Hamlin closing in on his mark. Now, he’d like to race at least until his son, Brexton, turns 18 and the two can compete against each other in NASCAR.