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1976 Le Mans was a fascinating year. Alongside the usual Porsches BMWs Datsuns and other familiar endurance cars the organizers relaxed the entry rules, opening the door to something completely unexpected. That year two American NASCAR stock cars entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a Dodge Charger backed by Olympia Beer and driven by Hershel McGriff, and a Ford Torino entered by Truxmore and Donlavey Racing. It marked a rare collaboration between NASCAR and the ACO. Neither car finished the race, but they became instant fan favorites, earning the nickname “Les Deux Monstres” for their sheer size noise and presence on the grid.
Transcript
Hello? Le Mans is the supreme auto racing ordeal. To race here is to face the ultimate challenge. To win is to conquer the most rigorous task. And so Le attracts only the dairy and the bulk, drivers, manufacturers, even countries seeking a face in racing's history. For all of them, Le Mans is motor racing's Mount Everest. At this spot during the night, a Datsun two sixty zed crashed and burst into flames, claiming the life of Andre Haller. The tragedy happened that the Mulsanne kink occurred following the 200 miles per hour Mulsanne Strait. Haller was a Strasbourg the entry rules to admit a wider variety of cars than before, two big saloon races and the pair of sports cars crossed the Atlantic to take up the invitation.
