[autotag]Kamui Kobayashi[/autotag] didn’t make the same impact as Shane van Gisbergen in his NASCAR debut but it was still a good learning experience for him. Kobayashi brought the No. 67 car for 23XI Racing to a 33rd-place finish, which was not what he expected going into the weekend. Still, it is challenging for some new drivers to acclimate to the NextGen car right away.
The Japanese-born driver was among several notable international racing stars, such as van Gisbergen and Jenson Button, to compete in the event last weekend. Both van Gisbergen and Button have made NASCAR starts in the past so could we see a similar fate for Kobayashi? If it is up to him, that will be the case.
“I want to come back,” Kobayashi said. “This time was challenging, but I understand what I need to do and I got quite good experience. Let’s see what happens. I think this experience was really amazing because I always dreamed to race in NASCAR at one point when I was a kid.”
“To bring me here is challenging for everyone, but we made it happen. Hopefully, I think we can explore even more in Japan about NASCAR.”
Outside of the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International, there is only one road course left on the schedule in 2023. The sport is set to tackle the Charlotte ROVAL on October 8 so could this be an opportunity for Kobayashi? If not, the driver of the No. 67 car would have to wait until next year and based on his comments, it would be worth the wait.
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