Live updates: Garage 56 entry in 24 Hours of Le Mans Hendrick ...

CONCORD, N.C. - Race day has arrived for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. It has been about 15 months since Hendrick Motorsports' collaboration with NASCAR, Chevrolet, IMSA and Goodyear was announced in fielding an entry in the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Fans can watch the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans right now on MotorTrend TV/MotorTrend+. The race got underway on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m. ET and will run until Sunday, June 11, at 10 a.m. ET.

PHOTOS: The sights of the 24 Hours of Le Mans | Scenes leading up to race day

All week, the driver lineup of Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller have been putting the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through its paces at the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe. The roster is quite decorated with significant accomplishments: Rockenfeller is a two-time Le Mans winner, Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (with Hendrick Motorsports), Button is a Formula One champion and backup driver/coach Jordan Taylor is a four-time IMSA champion. Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition and seven-time championship-winning crew chief Chad Knaus is overseeing the project with former Cup Series crew chief Greg Ives managing the race. 

Below are live updates from France and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

RELATED: Garage 56 entry goes through final prep ahead of 24 Hours of Le Mans

RACE UPDATES

Update No. 3 (3:24 p.m. ET/9:24 p.m. in France): Button is in the midst of an extended shift behind the wheel. Heavy rain on parts of the course led to a lengthy stretch behind the safety car. During this stint, Button has pitted three times. The first was for intermediate tires when the rain began and then he came back down for slicks when the precipitation stopped. The team also made an aero adjustment on the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. 

Update No. 2 (12:51 p.m. ET/6:51 p.m. in France): Johnson completes a 12-lap stint in the car of just under a hour (58:54 in total). Button takes over for a planned double stint in the car with Johnson scheduled to follow up with a double stint of his own. 

"It was incredible," Johnson said of his first run. "I had slow zones that took place with two or three big crashes on track. It was a totally different experience to work through those areas and take back off. All in all, just an amazing experience. One of the slow zones, it was a very crowded area with the fans – they were waving at me so I was waving back. It was really, really fun. I want every lap I can get."

Update No. 1 (11:49 a.m. ET/5:49 p.m. in France): Rockenfeller starts out as the first driver for the team when the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 rolls off the grid from the 39th position. The race got underway at 10 a.m. ET/4 p.m. in France. His stint in the car lasts 14 laps at just under an hour and 15 minutes (one hour, 13 minutes and 13 seconds to be exact). Johnson takes over for the next stint. 

"It was a tricky stint with the first chicane down in Mulsanne completely wet," Rockenfeller said of the initial challenges. "I just tried to make no mistakes, stay trouble free. It’s a long race so you don’t want to waste it in the first lap. The car feels good. Balance-wise we have some issues because we thought it was going to rain more, so we adjusted the balance. We will react to that later in the race and adjust tire pressure. I think the track will grip up again and I think we can go a bit faster from now on."

RELATED: Garage 56 lineup on what success looks like | Garage 56 team reflects on road to France

Take a look at the team's first pit stop of the day.

PIT CREW WINS CLASS IN PIT STOP CHALLENGE

Tuesday afternoon saw the pit crew from Hendrick Motorsports take part in the Pit Stop Challenge and emerge victorious in the GTE class (which is where the team was classified for this competition only). They performed a NASCAR-style pit stop in 10.364 seconds and were the only team to use a manual jack. In the overall competition, the team placed fifth, just 0.3 seconds behind the top team. 

RELATED: Pit Stop Challenge victory brings lasting memories for Le Mans crew

The Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56 pit crew is made up of Dawson Backus (front-tire changer), Cody French (front-tire carrier), Jarius Morehead (rear-tire carrier), Mike Moss (rear-tire changer) and Donovan Williams (jackman).

PRACTICE DETAILS FROM: Sunday, June 4 | Wednesday, June 7 | Thursday, June 8

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON GARAGE 56

The Garage 56 entry in the endurance race is a unique case because it is a single-entry class of competition for innovative cars – there is no other car in the class. Garage 56 was introduced in 2012 and allows for creativity without taking away a spot in the traditional starting grid. Hendrick Motorsports, in collaboration with NASCAR, Chevrolet, IMSA and Goodyear, is fielding the No. 24 entry.

The car, a modified version of the Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 race car, was formally unveiled at Daytona International Speedway in February. The systems and components of the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 are mostly unchanged from the car that runs in the Cup Series. However, this car has headlights and taillights for nighttime racing, a larger fuel cell, carbon brake discs and Goodyear Eagle race tires that have been specially designed.

RELATED: NASCAR unveils Garage 56 car, full specs and details