When people around here talk about car racin’, it usually means NASCAR.

But Roy Carroll, the president and owner of The Carroll Companies, is bringing an entirely different kind of racin’ to First National Bank Field in downtown Greensboro this summer and, to be clear, unlike NASCAR in The Coliseum in Los Angeles, no cars will be racing on the Grasshoppers home turf.  But on June 11 and June 12, Carroll is inviting the community to First Bank Field to watch a live broadcast of the Bee Safe Le Mans team race in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Carroll said that the plan is to have the ballpark open to the public free of charge, and added, “We would encourage people and families to come to the park, bring sleeping bags and watch the race overnight in the park.  The Carroll Companies would provide food and beverages.”

Le Mans is considered one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world and the winner is not the car that crosses the finish line first, but the car that has traveled the farthest in 24 hours, which means it’s a race of not just speed but endurance.

Bee Safe Storage and Wine Cellars, one of The Carroll Companies, which also owns this publication, is sponsoring the Bee Safe Le Mans Team.

The Ferrari 488 GT LM being built for the Le Mans race is scheduled to be completed in April, which, according to Carroll, is a tight deadline for a race in June. 

In an email, Carroll said, “We want this car to be locally embraced as the ‘Greensboro Le Mans’ car.  This is the first time (that I know of) that a Greensboro car has entered the Le Mans race.”

Carroll drives in the Ferrari Challenge series, but for Le Mans 24 Hours has enlisted three professional drivers, Shane Van Gisbergen, Sam Bird and Filipe Fraga.