Penske downplays short-term prospects for WEC race at Indy

The venue for the FIA WEC’s annual race in the United States beyond this season remains unclear, following comments earlier today from Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske ahead of the opening WEC race of the season at the Lusail …

The venue for the FIA WEC’s annual race in the United States beyond this season remains unclear, following comments earlier today from Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske ahead of the opening WEC race of the season at the Lusail International Speedway in Qatar,

Penske –whose team also operates Porsche’s factory Hypercar and IMSA GTP programs — appeared to play down the prospects of the Speedway joining the calendar any time soon.

“I think at the moment it’s a scheduling situation,” he said when asked for an update on talks between IMS and the WEC for a future event. “We’d love to have it come at some point. Now, we will have an IMSA six-hour race in September this year, which will be good.

“There’s a lot of interest in sports car racing worldwide now. Talking to Pierre (Fillon, ACO president) at Le Mans, you look at Imola, these places, the interest in tickets, there are some very very high levels of interest. It’s good for us, and good for Porsche.”

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This year the FIA WEC will visit Austin’s Circuit of The Americas for the first time since 2020. The return of the Lone Star Le Mans event replaces the championship’s Sebring doubleheader with IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but it is believed the deal for the COTA event is for a single year.

Penske, however, seemingly all but ruled out the WEC visiting the Brickyard in the short term. He suggested that he wouldn’t mind COTA remaining on the calendar if this year’s event proves to be a success.

“I don’t have anything to announce, I don’t think we are ready to do something in the next 24 months,” Penske said when asked about the possibility for IMS to be on the calendar for 2025. “But I’d love to do something.”

“We’re not here to push them (COTA) out — if they have a good race there, they should stay there,” he added.

This is a shift in tone on the subject from Penske, who said after Le Mans last summer that he had hoped to have Indianapolis on the calendar in 2024.

“We had good discussions,” he said last July. “We were going to do it in September (2024), which is when they are going to COTA. We were going to do it on the same weekend IMSA was coming and run an event like the doubleheader was at Sebring. But we couldn’t because of TV and the travel for them was going to be impossible.

“It was financial and there was no flexibility for IMSA to change its dates.”

Armstrong, Lundqvist, Blomqvist pass Indy 500 Rookie Orientation

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist turned 92 laps in their cars on Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while completing their Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Programs. Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist, who was the …

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Armstrong and Linus Lundqvist turned 92 laps in their cars on Wednesday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway while completing their Indy 500 Rookie Orientation Programs.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist, who was the fastest of the three in his No. 60 Honda, finished his ROP running in 70 laps and left IMS with a quick lap of 220.176mph. Lundqvist was next at 219.504mph in the No. 8 Honda and Armstrong completed the list at 219.252 in the No. 11 Honda.

“It’s boyhood dreams coming true, you know?” Blomqvist said. “It’s such a cool, iconic place. What a phenomenal day — really, really excited. Enjoyed every minute of it. Definitely had a big smile on my face after that first proper run. I can’t wait to come back here. So much to learn; I still feel like I’m a novice, which I basically am. I was very fortunate to get these laps under my belt before coming back here again, so there’s a lot of time to process things. Just a cool day, really.”

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Armstrong has been pining to lap the big 2.5-mile speedway since he decided to go full-time next season with the defending series champions.

“I’ve enjoyed it a whole lot more than I expected,” Armstrong said. “I’m not saying I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but I think the intensity of it is pretty special and watching onboards and on TV is one thing, but actually feeling how the car moves and how the wind affects you and the tiny details of this place – and Texas – has kind of given me so much enjoyment.”

For 2022 Indy NXT champion Lundqvist, who did his first IndyCar oval race in August at World Wide Technology Raceway, completing Indy’s ROP was another step in his journey to earn his place at top step of American open-wheel racing.

“It’s unbelievable,” Lundqvist said. “With the speeds that you’re going, it feels so fast. With the history and legacy around this place, it just feels magical. Even though the grandstands are empty, I can only imagine what it will feel like when they’re full. Even now it’s very, very special.”

Gidley sweeps GT America at IMS, Bell wins GT4 title by one point

Race two of GT America powered by AWS at Indianapolis Motor Speedway brought the 2023 season to a close. Memo Gidley solidified his spot as SRO3 champion in race one and capped it off by sweeping the weekend. The GT4 class came down to the wire, …

Race two of GT America powered by AWS at Indianapolis Motor Speedway brought the 2023 season to a close. Memo Gidley solidified his spot as SRO3 champion in race one and capped it off by sweeping the weekend. The GT4 class came down to the wire, with Robb Holland emerging victorious. Jason Bell would hold on to his champion status for a second year running by one point. In GT2, Kevin Woods took home the win.

SRO3
At the jump, Gidley in the No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 overtook ROWE Pole Winner George Kurtz in the No. 04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3. The duo kept their race clean however, fifth place Jason Daskalos in the No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 was collected with multiple cars in a Turn 1, lap one incident. The No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Corvette C7 GT3-R of Mirco Schultis, The No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Kyle Washington and the No. 011 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG 3 of Marc Austin were involved. No. 043 OnlyFans Racing by P1 Groupe with MRS Porsche 911 GT3 R of Alex Vogel escaped cruising past the multiple spinning cars.

The incident gave third-place finisher Adam Adelson in the No. 120 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R the distraction needed to march his way through the field. He passed the incident, then slowly but surely maneuvered past fifth place No. 41 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Todd Treffort and fourth place No. 3 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Johnny O’Connell. Adelson would make his pass for second place on Kurtz within the final 90s of the race as the front of the field passed through the GT4 Class leaders. Kurtz would fight back in a drag-race style finish down the front stretch. It would be Kurtz in second place and Adelson third in race two.

GT2
Woods and his No. 94 Chicago Performance & Tuning Co. KTM X-Bow GT2 split the difference, winning race two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the GT2 Class return. Race one winner Dan Knox in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2 walked away with a second-place finish. CJ Moses in the No. 58 GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT2 finished third.

GT4
Holland held on to the lead for the GT4 class win and Bell held on to the GT4 Class championship by one point with his second-place finish. Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMG GT4 was never far off the leaders, making Bell work for his second championship. He finished third in race two.

Tony Gaples brought his season in the No. 5 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4 R to a close with a top five finish. Tim Savage in the No. 009 TRG Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and Todd Parriott in the No. 13 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Nicholas Shanny in the No. 21 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO rounded out the field.

RESULTS

Yoshihara sweeps TC America at IMS, Bucknum takes TCA title

The TC America Powered by Skip Barber field wrapped up their weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and their championship season, on a cloudy Sunday morning. Daijiro Yoshihara completed a clean sweep of the weekend in the TCX Class, while Celso …

The TC America Powered by Skip Barber field wrapped up their weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and their championship season, on a cloudy Sunday morning.

Daijiro Yoshihara completed a clean sweep of the weekend in the TCX Class, while Celso Neto claimed his first win of the season in the TCA Class. Spencer Bucknum claimed the win and the TCA Class title.

TCX
Race one winner Yoshihara started on pole position in his No. 99 VGRT Honda Civic Type-R TCX, and although he got a good start as the green flag waved, Colin Garrett in the No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) and Kenny Schmied in the No. 14 AOA Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) were quick to raise a challenge and put their rapid pace to good use.

The trio continued to battle, swapping positions back and forth in the opening laps. Yoshihara eventually settled into a speedy rhythm and was able to propel himself back up into the top spot and set off on the clear road ahead, further establishing a 6s gap by the halfway mark.

The Japanese driver was simply untouchable, even going on to set the fastest lap of the race with a couple of minutes remaining before going on to cross the finish line to secure his second win of the weekend at the Brickyard. Colin Garrett also went on to pick up his second podium of the weekend, while Schmied completed the top three.

TC
At the start, the No. 37 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW Pro TC of Cristian Perocarpi made contact with the No. 78 Genracer/Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TC of Jeff Ricca, which resulted in left front damage for Ricca while Perocarpi was forced to retire from the race.

Neto was therefore promoted into the lead in his No. 7 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type-R, with Clayton Williams looking to capitalize in the No. 60 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW Pro TC as he sought after the last crucial championship points. Ricca was able to recover and hang on steadily in third position, but ultimately was unable to close in on Williams ahead.

Neto completed a flawless drive to clinch his well-deserved first victory of the 2023 season. Williams stood alongside him in second on the podium, in addition to claiming the TC class championship title over long-standing competitor Ricca, who took the final step of the podium.

TCA
Bucknum led the pack in his No. 5 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si FE1, and initially had a comfortable gap between himself and fellow championship challenger Devin Anderson in the No. 22 TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ, who started in sixth position following a grid penalty.

However, Anderson quickly got up to speed and had already navigated his way up to third place within the first five minutes of the race. From there, he pulled off another overtake on William Lambros in the No. 77 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si FE1, and now set his sights on his championship rival ahead.

An unrelenting fight to the line ensued in the last 10 minutes, and as Bucknum took the checkered flag to claim his second win of the weekend, he also finalized his claim over the TCA championship title. Anderson put up a great fight and finished second in race two and runner-up in the standings, with Lambros doing the same in third.

RESULTS

Yoshihara, Ricca, Lambros win first TC America race at IMS

The TC America Powered by Skip Barber field kicked off Saturday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with race one taking place bright and early under the glaring sunshine. Daijiro Yoshihara, Jeff Ricca, and William Lambros claimed the first …

The TC America Powered by Skip Barber field kicked off Saturday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with race one taking place bright and early under the glaring sunshine.

Daijiro Yoshihara, Jeff Ricca, and William Lambros claimed the first victories of the weekend in the TCX, TC, and TCA classes and earned the honor of kissing the famous bricks.

TCX
Yoshihara started on pole in the No. 99 VGRT Honda Civic Type-R TCX, but it was champion-elect Colin Garrett who got a fantastic start and grabbed the lead off the start in his No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup).

Despite the initial setback, Yoshihara began fighting back and reclaimed the lead just four minutes into the race, with Garrett dropping down to fourth place in a matter of a couple of corners.

Garrett clamored his way back up to second place in the final 10 minutes, accompanied by Adam Gleason in the No. 21 Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup).

TC
Christian Perocarpi, the hometown hero in the No. 37 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW Pro TC, led the charge in the TC Class as the green flag waved. He came under attack from Celso Neto in the No. 7 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type-R, who went on to move up into the lead towards the end of the opening lap.

Perocarpi was not going to let Neto get away easily and began to close down the gap between them again. Just as Neto looked to be in a comfortable rhythm, he was involved in an on-track incident and sent limping off into the gravel with damage to the car, which brought out the first full course caution with just over 20 minutes remaining.

The race resumed with just under 13 minutes to go, which saw Ricca get a sensational launch into the first corner in his No. 78 Genracer/Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TC, passing both MINI JCW Team drivers to move up into the lead.

Ricca expertly claimed the win and collected his eighth victory of the season, further tightening the championship battle as the field prepares for the final race on Sunday. Perocarpi finished in second after chasing Ricca all the way to the line. The final spot on the podium went to Kris Valdez in the No. 11 DRS Honda Civic Type-R.

TCA
With the championship hunt getting closer than ever between Devin Anderson in the No. 22 TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ and Spencer Bucknum in the No. 5 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si FE1, these final two races hold a great deal of importance for these title contenders.

Anderson started on pole as Bucknum started alongside him, but disaster struck shortly thereafter for Anderson as he tumbled down the running order and fell to the back of the pack in the opening laps. Bucknum was promoted to first place as the clock ticked away, followed by Lambros trying to apply pressure in his No. 77 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si FE1.

With just one minute remaining, Lambros launched an attack and pulled off the overtake for the top spot, and it proved to be one of the most vital moves of the entire race.

The two could not have been any closer, performing a drag race to the finish line and providing an unbelievable photo finish as they wrapped up race one just 0.001s apart, with the advantage handed to Lambros and Bucknum finishing second. Anderson recovered to third place in the end.

The series will be back on track for race two on Sunday morning at 9:35 a.m ET.

RESULTS

Gidley seals up GT America class championship with IMS win

The GT America powered by AWS SRO3 drivers’ championship was wrapped up in flag-to-flag fashion with Memo Gidley winning race one at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Robb Holland is keeping the GT4 Class championship exciting as he is now separated …

The GT America powered by AWS SRO3 drivers’ championship was wrapped up in flag-to-flag fashion with Memo Gidley winning race one at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Robb Holland is keeping the GT4 Class championship exciting as he is now separated from points leader Jason Bell by nine points.

Dan Knox grabs debut win for the new Mercedes-AMG GT2.

SRO3
Johnny O’Connell in the No. 3 SKI Autosport Audi R8 LMS split points between leaders Gidley and Jason Daskalos as he sat second in qualifying. Gidley took off at the green flag while O’Connell allowed Daskalos a free pass at the start of the race. He would reclaim the second position halfway through. O’Connell spent the remainder chasing eventual-winner Gidley in the No. 101 TKO Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3.

Daskalos in the No. 27 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 had his hands full of Mirco Schultis in the No. 70 MISHUMOTORS Corvette C7 GT3 R. A little rough racing caused some damage to the Callaway Corvette. Daskalos continued forward, however Schultis would then take a short off-course excursion through the grass of the infield.

George Kurtz in the No. 04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 came out ahead when it came to close racing while maneuvering around Tony Gaples in the No. 5 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4. R. When Kurtz made the pass in Turn 5, Gaples took a spin after the move, giving Kurtz a clean path to fourth place.

At one point, Daskalos incurred a post-race time penalty for a track limits infringement, dropping him to sixth and giving Kurtz a third-place finish. Schultis would recover to finish fourth, followed across the finish line by Kyle Washington in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Marc Austin finished seventh in his No. 011 Lone Star Racing/Mad Joker Mercedes-AMG GT3 ahead of Alex Vogel in the No. 043 OnlyFans Racing by P1 Groupe with MRS Porsche 911 GT3 R. Vogel found himself in inter-class battles but a late move kept him ahead of the GT4 Class battle for the lead. Todd Treffert in the No. 41 CRP Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 rounded out the field in ninth.

GT2
Knox, in the No. 80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG GT2, made his way around pole sitter Kevin Woods in the No. 094 Chicago Performance & Tuning, Co. KTM X-Bow GT2 for the win.

GT4
Bell made a lap one pass on pole sitter Grey Newell to take the lead. His No. 2 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 was then under pressure by Robb Holland in the No. 099 Rotek Racing Porsche 917 Cayman RS Clubsport. Holland not only made his way around Newell, but with three minutes remaining, took the lead. A meager nine points separate Bell and Holland in the drivers’ championship. Newell would go on to finish the race third.

Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 finished the race fourth. While Chouest was once in the conversation for a repeat championship, he’s now out of contention. Tim Savage in the No. 009 TRG Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 took home fifth after capitalizing on Gaples spin while fighting with Kurtz in the SRO3 Class. Gaples finished sixth.

Nicholas Shanny in the No. 21 Carrus Callas Raceteam Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO took home seventh ahead of Todd Parriott in the No. 19 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4.

The 2023 GT Americas powered by AWS season ends on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 8:35 a.m. with race two.

RESULTS

Lots to consider for IMSA teams in solving Indy road course riddles

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams are preparing to attack Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the first time since 2014, when Grand Am last visited the track. Many of the racers will be getting their first laps of the …

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams are preparing to attack Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the first time since 2014, when Grand Am last visited the track. Many of the racers will be getting their first laps of the 2.439-mile, 14-turn circuit during Friday practice. But even those who have raced there previously in Grand Am or since then in GT3 cars, Indy cars or other series know that they will have a wide set of challenges to overcome.

“When you look at the track, it doesn’t look that difficult,” says Era Motorsport ORECA LMP2 driver Ryan Dalziel, who won at Indy with Starworks in 2013 and has raced at the track in recent years in GT3 cars. “But I think we would all agree that it’s actually very challenging. I think the lack of use for the road course makes it always pretty tricky, especially early sessions. I think weather always plays a factor based on the last times we were there. But it’s a busy place; other than the front straight, you don’t stop working the car.

“Do you want to run low downforce or high downforce, trying to figure out what’s the best compromise on the track? We had an interesting test there [in July] and what we thought was going to work for the P2 car did not. I’m glad that we got to do that a couple of days of testing, because we definitely rolled out of the truck with a very different car to how we plan on going back there. So, not an easy place.”

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Dalziel and Dwight Merriman are trying to haul themselves into the LMP2 title fight, currently led by Ben Keating ad Paul-Loup Chatin in the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports entry by the No. 11 TDS Racing squad of Steven Thomas and Mikkel Jensen. Cadillac Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande have a similarly tough task to close the 118-point gap to GTP leaders Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor for Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport in the No. 10 Acura ARX-06. But Bourdais knows a thing or two about racing at the Brickyard, having won there in sports cars — also with Starworks — and racing on the road course in IndyCar.

“I think it’s also a very much of a one-groove racetrack, and every time you’re gonna have to get out of that groove — and you will have to — is going to make it very difficult,” said the Frenchman, driver of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R. “Marbles build up really fast. So for us in GTP, not really being much faster than the LMP2s — and certainly not being really any faster in the braking zones or the corners — the interaction is going to be quite tricky and will decide the race for sure. How easily your car lets you maneuver around people will be key.

“Technically, I think it’s also a track that’s very, very tricky, because you have very pointy apexes. You’re basically braking and shooting for a very specific point. and therefore the margin to hit the apex or not is very, very small and very critical. Because if you hit the apex, it dictates a very different corner than if you’re like a half a foot away. So it’s all kind of dictated at the turn-in point; there’s no real readjustment from there. And they’re all pretty long corners, so I think a good front end and getting the car to to maneuver around is critical.”

The only new track on the 2023 IMSA schedule comes at a crucial point in the championship, with only two races left, and it’s the final sprint race of the season (next year it will be a six-hour endurance race). The GTP points battle is quite tight, with the spread from WTRAndretti in first to Connor De Phillippi and Nick Yelloly (No. 25 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8) in third being only 73 points.

The No. 31 Action Express Racing Cadillac V-Series.R squad of Pipo Derani and Alexander Sims sits in between, 14 points — less than a single race finishing position — out of first. Porsche Penske Motorsports is still in it as well, Nick Tandy and Mathieu Jaminet being 98 points back. Bourdais and van der Zande are tied with Colin Braun and Tom Blomqvist (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura) for fifth on points, although the MSR crew gets the edge in position thanks to having two wins.

LMP2 has a little more breathing room, Keating and Chatin being 45 points ahead of Thomas and Jensen. George Kurtz and Ben Hanley are third, another 52 points back. LMP3, which swells to nine entries for the Brickyard, has been dominated by Gar Robinson — usually with Felipe Fraga — in the No. 74 Riley Motorsports Ligier, and he has a commanding 251-point lead over Matthew Bell and Orey Fidani (No. 13 AWA Duqueine), although the race gets tighter from there.

Vasser Sullivan’s Lexus duo of Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat bring a healthy GTD PRO lead to Indy. Michael Levitt/Lumen

Both GTD classes have been a bit of a runaway this season. Ben Barnicoat and Jack Hawksworth — who scored his first IMSA victory at IMS — lead GTD PRO by 144 points for the Vasser Sullivan Lexus squad. They’re chased by the No. 3 Corvette Racing C8.R duo of Jordan Taylor and Antonio Garcia, who in turn have a 107-point margin to Pfaff Motorsport’s Patrick Pilet and Klaus Bachler.

Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow have steamrolled the GTD competition this season. A start at Indy will clinch them the Sprint Cup, and if they win, they will have locked up the season championship for Paul Miller Racing and BMW before Petit Le Mans. Either way, Marco Sorensen and defending champion Roman De Angelis don’t have a lot of hope for catching Snow and Sellers, with 2621 points to 2996 for the No. 1 squad. Meanwhile they need to hold off Aaron Telitz and Frankie Montecalvo (No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC-F) who are 68 points out of second, and Frederik Schandorff and Brendan Iribe, 85 points out of second in the Inception Racing McLaren 720S.

Several GTD cars got big Balance of Performance adjustments ahead of Indy. The BMW M4 GT3, Lexus and Corvette all received power reductions. The McLaren received an additional 20kg of weight, while the Mercedes-AMG GT3 lost 30kg. The Porsche 911 GT3R received both a weight increase, and an increase in restrictor size.

The action for this weekend’s Battle on the Bricks actually gets started on Thursday evening with a Street Fest on Main Street in downtown Speedway from 6 to 8pm, with the first official practice Friday afternoon. The 2h40m race is scheduled for a green flag at 1:10pm local (Eastern) time on Sunday. The WeatherTech Championship is joined at Indy by the Michelin Pilot Challenge, which will have a four-hour race on Saturday that goes into darkness. In addition, Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America and Lamborghini Super Trofeo will have a pair of races each, Saturday and Sunday.

WeatherTech Championship qualifying on Saturday afternoon will be carried live on IMSA.tv. The IMPC race will be carried live on Peacock. Live, flag-to-flag coverage of the WeatherTech Championship race will be available on NBC starting at 1pm Eastern on Sunday, as well as streamed on Peacock.

Kobayashi yearning for more after first NASCAR experience with 23XI

Kamui Kobayashi experienced everything a NASCAR race could give him Sunday on the Indianapolis road course, and it left him wanting more. “I want to come back,” he said. The two-time WEC champion made his NASCAR Cup Series debut with 23XI Racing, …

Kamui Kobayashi experienced everything a NASCAR race could give him Sunday on the Indianapolis road course, and it left him wanting more.

“I want to come back,” he said.

The two-time WEC champion made his NASCAR Cup Series debut with 23XI Racing, finishing 33rd after starting 28th and being sent for a spin on two different occasions in Turn 1 from contact with two different competitors (Andy Lally on lap two and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with 16 laps to go).

Kobayashi was in a third entry for 23XI Racing. It was only the second time the organization has fielded a third car.

Although the No. 67 Toyota did run amongst those on the top half of the leaderboard, Kobayashi felt he had decent speed at times in the race. He was hoping for a caution to help his cause, though, which never came. There was only one yellow before the race went 77 green flag laps to the finish.

“I’m a bit surprised. It was a like sprint race, actually,” Kobayashi said.

There was nothing for the sports car stalwart to hang his head about, understanding that he needs more experience. Kobayashi believes he’ll have a better for feel things the next time he gets an opportunity to join the Cup Series field.

“This time was challenging, but I understand what I need to do and I got quite good experience,” he said. “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.”

Van Gisbergen getting closer to NASCAR move after Indy top 10

Shane van Gisbergen wasn’t in victory lane after his second NASCAR Cup Series start in Indianapolis, but he left the Brickyard pleased as a top 10 finisher. “I guess everyone’s expectations are high because of Chicago, but the top-10 is still …

Shane van Gisbergen wasn’t in victory lane after his second NASCAR Cup Series start in Indianapolis, but he left the Brickyard pleased as a top 10 finisher.

“I guess everyone’s expectations are high because of Chicago, but the top-10 is still awesome,” van Gisbergen said. “Just had a ball with the PROJECT91 guys all week, and Enhance Health coming onboard – they were excited to be on board the Chevy. Just had a ball.

“The race was pretty tough; a lot more contact and pushing around and stuff. I got pushed out of the way by Alex Bowman, but I blocked him, and then he pushed me straight away. Hey, learned pretty quick not to block that early. It’s all part of it. I was enjoying it the whole time.”

The Kiwi started eighth and was a consistent top-10 contender throughout the afternoon. The race had just one natural caution, so van Gisbergen got experience running a race with a long green flag run.

“Just a different type of pace,” he said of what happened Sunday compared to an Australian Supercars event. “Here it’s very intense the way you have to drive the car, and V8s at the moment — you’re driving very slowly and delicately. These things you have to hustle the whole time. It’s really fun.”

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Another new experience for van Gisbergen was the start of the race being double file as well as a double file restart after the first caution. In Chicago, NASCAR ran single-file because of the rain.

“It was pretty good; everyone was a lot more aggressive than Chicago, but I expected that,” he said. “It wasn’t bad stuff or overly aggressive, it’s just how the racing is that I expected. Everyone was fair. It was all good.”

Van Gisbergen puts Indianapolis in the rearview mirror plenty satisfied after running two races. Friday night, he couldn’t contain his excitement while competing in his first NASCAR oval race in the Craftsman Truck Series before capping it off Sunday on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“I had a smile on my face all weekend,” van Gisbergen said. “The truck race was fun, constantly learning and getting better and better all week. And understanding the lingo and stop saying understeer and oversteer; it’s loose and tight. It’s been fun.”

On the continued wait on his future plans in NASCAR, van Gisbergen said things progressed over the weekend.

“We’re closer, but I haven’t closed anything out,” he said. “I really have to sort Australia first — that’s looking promising — and then coming up with something here and hopefully move over soon.”

‘I just needed to do a little better’ Elliott says after Indy defeat

Chase Elliott’s hunt for a 2023 NASCAR Cup Series victory continues after coming up one spot short Sunday in Indianapolis to Michael McDowell. The Hendrick driver felt he had a solid No. 9 Chevrolet, but not enough to erase a gap of over 3s in the …

Chase Elliott’s hunt for a 2023 NASCAR Cup Series victory continues after coming up one spot short Sunday in Indianapolis to Michael McDowell.

The Hendrick driver felt he had a solid No. 9 Chevrolet, but not enough to erase a gap of over 3s in the final stint. On the final green flag pit stop, Elliott cycled to second when Daniel Suarez had an issue and was initially able to make up ground on McDowell. The gap only ever got down to just under one second when McDowell led Elliott across the finish line.

“[I] just needed to do a little better job,” Elliott said. “Michael did an outstanding job getting through traffic, and I didn’t. [I] gained a lot of time on him those last couple of laps, just not quite enough.”

Sunday had one natural caution, and Elliott kept in mind the need to pace himself over a long green flag run. But he ended up losing too much time on the pit cycle even though he gained a spot.

It was one of the strongest race weekends Elliott has had in recent weeks. He qualified third and finished third in the first stage, earning more points with a fifth-place effort in the second stage.

“We had a fast NAPA Chevy, so it’s always good to have pace,” Elliott said. “We just needed a little bit more.”

Elliott remains below the NASCAR Cup Series playoff grid cutline, sitting 80 points out of a transfer spot with two races remaining in the regular season. The easiest and most realistic way for the 2020 series champion to make the postseason is through a victory.

Watkins Glen, where the series visits next, was the site of Elliott’s first victory in the Cup Series in 2018. He also won at The Glen in 2019 and finished fourth in the race there last season after starting from the pole.

“We got a shot at it,” he said.