24 Hours Of Le Mans Winner To Make NASCAR Debut With 23XI Racing

Toyota revealed Wednesday an upcoming Cup Series debut for one of the top racers in the world while preparing for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Kamui Kobayashi will make his NASCAR debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Aug. 13 driving for 23XI Racing, the team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, per NBC Sports via the Associated Press. It is planned to a be a one-race deal, and it will make Kobayashi the first Japanese-born driver to race for Toyota in the Cup Series. NASCAR chairman Jim France was among multiple executives in attendance for the news conference.

Kobayashi competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing, which has won the Les Mans the last five consecutive years. The 36-year-old won the iconic 24-hour race in 2021, and he hopes to help the team make it six years in a row. Former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will sponsor a car at this weekend’s race.

“We’ve been working on this assignment actually for a couple of years and Kamui has become a friend and we understood it was his dream one day to race in NASCAR,” David Wilson, president of TRD, USA said, per NBC Sports via the Associated Press. “With this great new Next Gen Toyota Camry TRD, the stars and planets started to align themselves and the next question became: Where should we announce this?

“It dawned on me with Kamui’s record of success, and being the team principal, to do it on this global stage at the biggest sports car race in the world.”

Kobayashi has not finished lower than third in a race since 2018. He also has competed in Formula One and is confident in his transition into NASCAR.

“It’s my dream, actually,” Kobayashi told the Associated Press, per NBC Sports. “It’s such a big sport in the United States and racing in Europe, I never had the chance or opportunity to race NASCAR. I think the opportunity will be challenging for myself because it is such a different category.

“But if I have success, I think it will make more opportunities for Japanese drivers. Toyota has been in NASCAR a long time, but there has never been any Japanese drivers for Toyota. That’s also why I say I appreciate this opportunity for myself.”

Kobayashi will be the second Japanese driver in Cup Series history, and he likely will attract larger fanfare if he shines at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.