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Former F1 champion Jenson Button has said that NASCAR should "jump on" the hype generated by their participation at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to attract new fans from around the world. The Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56 team finished the race, placing 39th out of 62 cars, and took first place in the pit crew competition.
Button said that rather than going it alone for a European race weekend, NASCAR should collaborate with another series. Given the rising popularity of stock car racing, he suggested that a World Endurance Cup weekend was a good way to broaden the sport's fanbase.
Speaking at a recent media interaction, Button said:
"You’ve got to jump on what we did at Le Mans. It could be easily forgotten."
While saying that European fans would enjoy stock car racing, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion said that understanding the sport's intricacies might pose a challenge in attracting new viewers.
"Just seeing 39 cars drive around is great, but if you don’t know who’s behind the wheel, you’ve got no one to really support unless you just like the color of the car like my son does. I think there needs to be a way of the European fans understanding the personalities within the sport as much as enjoying the racing.”
Button thinks a major factor in the increase of Formula 1's appeal in the United States was Netflix's "Drive to Survive" docuseries, which gave fans a behind the scenes look at the sport's inner workings. He said that in order to promote NASCAR to motorsports lovers in Europe, the company should take similar action.
Button further stated that fans who attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans enjoyed the aesthetics of the redesigned Cup car. The Brit drove the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s with Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and German touring car champion Mike Rockenfeller.
Jenson Buttons plans to return to NASCAR full time
Jenson Button also indicated that he was considering either a return to the World Endurance Championship or embarking on his first season in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
"I feel I’ve got nothing to lose," Button said. "I’ve won the world championship in F1, I achieved what I set out to do. Now I’m going racing because I love racing. I love learning new things, and the challenges are what keeps me going, otherwise I wouldn’t be racing anymore."
Button said he's loved his occasional racing but is now wants to broaden his interests in 2024. Button stated that he's now ready to commit to a full-time NASCAR return next year for the first time since his Super GT season in 2019 and after his long run for Garage 56 at Le Mans.
