Jun
Kamui Kobayashi, team principal for the Toyota World Endurance Championship and a Le Mans champion, is going to make his NASCAR Cup start with 23XI Racing at the Indianapolis race track in August.
Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson confirmed that Kobayashi will drive the #67 Toyota Camry that Travis Pastrana formerly drove to an 11th-place finish at the Daytona 500 on August 13 during a news conference at Le Mans on Wednesday before the start of first practice.
He will start a Cup race, making him the first Japanese racer to do so since Hideo Fukuyama in 2003.
Kobayashi’s guest appearance at Circuit of the Americas with the 23XI team, which is shared by former NBA great Michael Jordan and Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR racer Denny Hamlin, follows similar one-off appearances this season by fellow former Formula 1 drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button with Trackhouse Racing and Rick Ware Racing, respectively.
Wilson said: “It’s truly an honour to have Kamui want to participate in our NASCAR Cup Series programme, and we’re thrilled that we could work with our partners at 23XI Racing to give him a competitive Camry TRD for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course event.
“Kamui shares the passion for motorsports that all of us at Toyota and TRD USA live every day so it will be exciting to show him our NASCAR programme with him behind the wheel of one of our TRD Camrys.”
Prior to the 2022 season, Kobayashi was chosen as team principal of Toyota’s WEC division in addition to his job as a racer of the #7 Toyota GR010 Hypercar.
“NASCAR is something different in the culture of motorsports compared to Japan and Europe – as a driver, it’s the American dream,” he said.
“I was lucky to be able to race in IMSA the last couple of years. It’s a different form of racing, but I think the racing technology is at a high level.
“I really appreciate this opportunity from TRD, U.S.A. and of course Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Gazoo Racing.
“Toyota has been racing in NASCAR for a long time, but I don’t think any other Japanese driver has raced a Toyota in the Cup Series. I’m very proud of this opportunity.”
We bring out some of the most well-known NASCAR drivers’ apparels , all of which are available at reasonable costs. Visit our link now if you are interested in the racing clothing collection!
Nascar, NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity, Kamui Kobayashi, 23XI Racing, Le Mans
