Road Course Veteran Mike Rockenfeller to pilot the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB ™ No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Watkins Glen
STATESVILLE, N.C. (August 8, 2023) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ has signed two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike “Rocky” Rockenfeller of Germany to drive the No. 42 Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for the Aug. 13 NASCAR Cup Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road Course and the Aug. 20 event at Watkins Glen International.
Just hours after a fifth-place finish in the GTP class at Road America in the IMSA Weather Tech SportsCar series, Rockenfeller got the call from fellow NASCAR Garage 56 teammate Jimmie Johnson this week to assist the team for the two upcoming road course events. Johnson and Rockenfeller competed in the IMSA series together for Action Express for two seasons and were both an integral part of the Garage 56 project with Hendrick Motorsports in which they completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June along with former Formula One driver Jenson Button.
This will be the first time the veteran sports car racer will compete on the 2.439-mile road course at the storied “Brickyard”; however, the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona winner has made two starts in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022 – at Watkins Glen and at the Charlotte ROVAL. In addition to winning twice at Le Mans, “Rocky” is a three-time winner in the NASCAR Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series and won the 2013 DTM championship.
“After racing with Jimmie in IMSA for two years and together in the Garage 56 program not only were we teammates, but we are now great friends,” said Rockenfeller. “To get to race for him in the NASCAR Cup Series for LEGACY M.C. with him as a co-owner is such a true honor. It’s going to be a huge challenge as I have never raced at Indy. I was dreaming about being in a Cup Series car again and I’m thankful for the opportunity. I will try my best in this short timeframe to come together with the team and have a great race in Indy.”
Johnson is excited to welcome his sports car teammate to the Club.
“Rocky and I were teammates and helped develop the G56 program,” said Johnson. “I couldn’t think of a better person to assist our Club in this tough situation. These back-to-back road course events will be great for Rocky from the technical side as they will bring out his expertise. Rocky is extremely knowledgeable and talented, and I know he will get us the best results possible.”
The NASCAR Cup Series’ Verizon 200 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course will take place on Sunday, Aug. 13 at 2:30 pm ET airing on NBC, MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio channel 90.
ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is a professional auto racing club owned by businessman and entrepreneur Maurice J. Gallagher and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (NCS) Jimmie Johnson. The club competes full-time in the NCS fielding the Nos. 42 and 43. Richard Petty “The King” serves as team ambassador.
In 2021, Gallagher acquired Richard Petty Motorsports and renamed the team to Petty GMS. With the addition of Johnson to the ownership structure in 2023, the organization rebranded to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY M.C.). With a unique title signifying a nod to car clubs of past eras, LEGACY M.C. is an inclusive club for all motorsport enthusiasts to celebrate the past and future legacies of its members, while competing for wins and championships at NASCAR’s elite level.
Based in Statesville, N.C., LEGACY M.C. operates alongside GMS Racing (GMS), which currently fields three full-time entries in the NASCAR Truck Series. Since the formation of GMS in 2012, Gallagher and Mike Beam, team president, have shared incredible success. GMS Racing captured the 2015 ARCA Racing Series championship, the 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships and the 2019 and 2020 ARCA East championships, accumulating over 65 wins across six national racing circuits.
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