Current Toyota World Endurance Championship driver Kamui Kobayashi will make his US touring car debut in NASCAR. On August 13, the Japanese will start the race in Indianapolis on the road version of the track with a Toyota Camry of the 23XI Racing team.
Kamui Kobayashi becomes the second Japanese driver to start a NASCAR race. The pioneer was Hideo Fukuyama – he played for Ford in 2002-2003.
Kamui Kobayashi: “I think NASCAR is a bit like baseball. This is a very different racing culture, different from the Japanese and European ones. For a driver, NASCAR achievements are the fulfillment of the American dream.
I have been fortunate enough to race in America in IMSA for the past few years. There is a slightly different approach to racing, but the technology is still at the highest level. I am very grateful to Toyota Racing Development USA, Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Gazoo Racing for this opportunity.
Toyota has been in NASCAR for many years, but no Japanese driver has ever driven a Toyota in this series. I am very proud to have been given this opportunity.”
Before moving to the FIA WEC, Kamui Kobayashi spent five seasons in Formula 1, playing for Toyota, Sauber and Caterham. The rider’s best finish was third place at the home Japanese Grand Prix in 2012.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
