"We're representing America": Jeff Gordon previews NASCAR’s Le Mans journey in ‘American Thunder’ documentary ahead of Prime Video debut

Jeff Gordon made a recent appearance on the TODAY show to promote the newest NASCAR documentary, American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans, on Prime Video. The documentary highlights how Gordon, among others, teamed up to field a NASCAR entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 2023.

The entry, called Garage 56, was a NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 specifically designed to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France. The car was driven by three different drivers, including seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.

On the TODAY show, Gordon explained how a NASCAR stock car isn't designed to race in Le Mans, making it difficult to compete with sports cars that are built to do so. The four-time Cup champion explained that the Garage 56 invitation has only happened on some occasions in Le Mans, making it a "unique" opportunity. For context, there have only been five Garage 56 invitations since the introduction of the concept at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012.

The Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman went on to emphasize how challenging it is to make a NASCAR stock car competitive in Le Mans, but as you'll see in the documentary, they were able to do just that. Gordon added that they didn't go to Le Mans just to be there, but rather to represent America and all their NASCAR partners.

"We were fast. We didn't just go there to just show up. We were there representing America, Chevrolet, Goodyear, NASCAR, Hendrick Motorsports. It sends chills up my spine just thinking about it and this documentary does an amazing job of really capturing the behind-the-scenes and the challenges that it really created," Jeff Gordon said (2:06 onwards).

American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans is set to release on Prime Video on June 12. Prime is also the exclusive home for the next two NASCAR Cup Series races at Mexico City and Pocono.

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Jeff Gordon shares BTS from TODAY show appearance on IG ahead of documentary's release

Fresh off his appearance on the TODAY show, Jeff Gordon took to social media to mention the same while endorsing the upcoming documentary American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans. The documentary is set to release on June 12 for all Prime Video subscribers.

Gordon uploaded a behind-the-scenes selfie video from the TODAY show on Instagram. The 93-time Cup Series winner encouraged his followers to check out the upcoming documentary, writing:

"Got to stop by the @todayshow this morning! Catch the American Thunder documentary June 12th on Prime Video."

Jeff Gordon last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2015. Since then, the California native was a commentator for NASCAR on FOX from 2016 to 2021. After the 2021 season, Gordon was promoted to vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, leaving his analyst duties behind.