Even before van Gisbergen’s victory for Chevrolet squad Trackhouse Racing on his NASCAR debut, there had been growing international attention on NASCAR’s top series this season.
NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports-run Garage 56 Chevrolet at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, which included 2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button and 2011 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, was well-received by fans while Button also made his own Cup debut at the Circuit of the Americas in a Rick Ware Racing Ford.
At Le Mans, it was announced that Toyota's 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours overall winner and former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi would make his Cup debut in the 13 August race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with 23XI Racing.
In becoming the first Japanese driver to start a top-level NASCAR race in over 20 years, Kobayashi will join Button, plus returnee van Gisbergen and Supercars rival Brodie Kostecki, who will make his Cup debut for Richard Childress Racing.
“I’m looking more forward to Indianapolis than any other race on the calendar this year – maybe carve out Phoenix,” said Toyota Racing Development USA president David Wilson. “We should have some horses in that race. But it’s going to be great.
“We’re going to have the largest global audience. We have top management flying in from Japan, some who have never seen a NASCAR race. It’s putting Toyota and the U.S. programme and TRD USA on the map and I’m proud of that.”
Wilson said the response to Kobayashi’s NASCAR debut “caught us a little bit by surprise pleasantly”.
“There’s no question it’s put some eyeballs on our sport for the first time in many instances,” Wilson said. “He is a name and a face that is known – obviously in Japan he’s huge, but in Europe because of the penetration of WEC and sportscars he also has a name.
Source: Autosport