Japanese road course racing star Kamui Kobayashi set to make NASCAR debut with 23XI Racing
Kobayashi is only the second-ever driver from Japan to drive in the NASCAR Cup series.
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Kamui Kobayashi (Credits: @23Xiracing/ Twitter)
Former F1 driver and Toyota Endurance Racing driver Kamui Kobayashi is all set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with 23XI Racing. His entry to the series was announced during the 2023 24 Hours of LeMans, where NASCAR has a special entry with Jimmie Johnson and Jenson Button behind the wheel.
Kobayashi will become only the second driver from his country to race in the Cup series after Hideo Fukuyama. He will race the No:67 Toyota Camry in Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Race. Autocross legend Travis Pastrana drove the same car in the 2023 Daytona 500 and had an impressive outing. The car is also expected to be fielded for Kurt Busch when he makes his Cup series return.
“We are thrilled to support Kamui in his first NASCAR Cup Series start as we field another competitive Toyota for the race in Indianapolis. This race will also serve as a great opportunity for our team to compete with and learn from a highly accomplished driver,” Steve Lauletta, President of 23XI Racing, said.
“Earlier in the season the No. 67 team did a great job preparing and executing at the Daytona 500 and we look forward to the same with Kamui. We are also excited to introduce Kamui’s many international fans to 23XI and our sport,” Lauletta added.
The 36-year-old driver correctly competes in the WEC and Japanese Super Formula Championships. The Toyota Racing Academy product has raced in 75 F1 races and has a podium finish to his name. The three times Le Mans podium finisher has raced in Formula E and IMSA Championship before taking up his current exploits. He is a tow time Daytona Rolex 24 winner.
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Racing in NASCAR has been Kamui Kobayashi’s childhood dream
Kamui Kobayashi revealed that the first ever race he remembers watching was a NASCAR race in an Oval, and since then, it has been his dream. He said he didn’t even know F1, where he made a name for himself when he started Karting.
“Actually my memory, (the) first racing on TV was actually NASCAR. When I was like four or five years old. I said, ‘wow, that’s cool!’ And the first time when I raced a go-kart, honestly I didn’t know Formula 1. At the end of the day when I remember, what I saw when I was really young was a NASCAR race, because it was an oval. And I remember, the highlight, thinking one day to race in NASCAR was my dream,” Kobayashi said.
Kobayashi pointed out that IRC wasn’t his preferred location for a Cup debut. He would have wanted to race in an oval as he dreamed of. Kobayashi said that his WEC and Super Formula schedule made IRC the only viable option, so he chose the race for his debut.
“I have a still racing in WEC and also I’m doing the Super Formula as well in Japan so obviously to find no clashing schedules as a part of a race in NASCAR is quite tricky. And also, we need to have a lead-in time to have a simulator session, seat-fitting, couple of test days probably, I think that makes not fit at all for any other track. And the only one we find is the IndyCar track,” Kobayashi added.
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