Circuit of The Americas could host a NASCAR race next year. It would be a significant addition for the Southeast Austin track after it lost temporarily both its Formula One and IndyCar races this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The stock car racing league wants to put one of its Cup Series races at COTA in 2021, The Athletic reported.

NASCAR has not confirmed the report. Circuit of the Americas CEO Bobby Epstein declined to comment to AutoWeek.

COTA has never hosted a NASCAR race before. It has been the site of the F1 U.S. Grand Prix since 2012 and it added IndyCar in 2019.

However, both F1 and IndyCar were canceled this year because of the pandemic, dealing serious financial blows to COTA. Austin Business Journal reported in 2018 that up to half of COTA's annual revenue comes from F1 race weekend. The event had three-day attendance of about 286,000 in 2019.

Separately, COTA's backers are pursuing rezoning the land around the track to allow for mixed-use development, including a hotel and water park. The plan received the first OK from City Council on Sept. 17.

Honda Performance Development president Ted Klaus suggests that more technical commonality at U.S. motorsport’s pinnacle would encourage manufacturers to diversify.

Klaus, who will retire and hand over the reins of HPD to David Salter in December, was asked by Motorsport.com about the occasional rumors of Honda tackling NASCAR once the Gen. 2 car was brought online.

Last October, former HPD president Art St. Cyr told Motorsport.com that the company would consider such a move only if it made sense from a budgetary perspective.

Almost a year on, Klaus said: “I think we’ve got our hands full right now with IndyCar and getting on with the [IMSA] DPi for next season. We’ll see how that turns out.

“My suggestion is that the more that North American motorsports is able to take advantage of existing investments across the series, it gives manufacturers a chance to do more than one thing.

“If every series requires a unique investment, especially in today’s age, that will probably cause people to pause because we can’t be all things to all people.

“So I think, for the time being, we’re going to focus on IndyCar and sportscars on behalf of Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports. That’s driven by business limitations, more than anything.”

Honda won its second straight IndyCar Manufactuers’ title last season, is likely to win again this year, and is also trying to successfully defend IMSA titles in both the Prototype and GT Daytona classes.

NASCAR’s next-gen car, likely incorporating some degree of hybrid technology (although probably not on its debut) has been pushed back to 2022, IMSA’s LMDh Prototypes won’t be compulsory until 2023, while IndyCar is currently due to add hybrid units to its new 2.4-liter engines in 2022.

Nate Ryan
Wed, January 27, 2021, 6:00 AM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – When his Audi R18 slammed a guardrail at 185 mph and ricocheted across the track into another barrier in pitch-black darkness at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, Mike Rockenfeller never expected Jimmie Johnson to check on his well-being.

An ace European driver who had won Le Mans a year earlier, Rockenfeller certainly knew of Johnson – who in the racing world wouldn’t know the seven-time NASCAR Cup champion? – but he didn’t know him. They never had met, talked or had any form of contact.

Until an email from Jimmie Johnson landed in the German driver’s inbox immediately after Rockenfeller miraculously emerged unscathed from the horrifying wreck in France. It was “was so unexpected” because it was among the most sincere messages he ever received from another driver.

“To get that email from a legend like he is, it really meant a lot,” Rockenfeller, 37, told NBC Sports. “When I got it, I was so surprised. To me, that showed the mentality of America. The racing spirit they have here. Watching other categories, having the respect for each other. Obviously, it showed what kind of guy Jimmie is.

“I replied instantly, and he replied back, saying, ‘Oh, I’m watching this. I love Le Mans, it’s so cool what you guys are doing.’ ”

The story will have another unbelievable twist at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona with the teaming of Johnson and Rockenfeller (who goes by “Rocky” in the paddock) on the No. 48 Ally Cadillac with Simon Pagenaud and Kamui Kobayashi.

This will be Johnson’s eighth start in the Rolex but his first in 10 years, and he said it was the kinship he discovered in sports cars that inspired the email to Rockenfeller.

“My time around endurance racing in the U.S. just showed me the community that exists here and really reminded me a lot of the way I grew up racing motocross,” Johnson told NBC Sports. “And I didn’t know Mike prior to sending that email, but when I saw the crash, it just struck me.

“I just could not believe that he survived that. And then knowing we had mutual friends, I was able to track down his address and send him an email just checking on him and saying hello and introducing myself.

“So to have this all now come full circle and share a car in the Rolex 24 is really cool for me for many reasons.”

Johnson is a little fuzzy on how he was able to obtain Rockenfeller’s contact information, but he believes it was through a Chevrolet connection. Though he occasionally does Twitter shoutouts to strangers, Johnson rarely sends emails sight unseen.

“Especially back then, that was pre-social media for me,” he said. “Racers admire from afar but rarely engage. We’re all kind of weird like that. So it was a little out of character for me to do that, but I’m very thankful that I did.”

When asked last Thursday at 2021 Rolex 24 Media Day, Rockenfeller still didn’t know 10 years later how Johnson had gotten in touch.

“Exactly, that was the first surprise,” said Rockenfeller, who idolized countryman Michael Schumacher growing up but later began following Johnson. “How did he get my email? He managed to do it, and again, that shows the effort to text somebody or ask somebody to get the email and immediately write me.

Jimmie Johnson Rockenfeller email
Mike Rockenfeller tapped Jimmie Johnson on the helmet before the No. 48 Cadillac went out for the Motul 100 qualifying race Sunday at Daytona (Tina Theriault Strader).
“It meant a lot really to see that. In a way, it made me proud that a guy like him I’m looking up to in all my career takes the time with all the schedule he had back then, because he was flat-out racing in NASCAR all those years, but he took the time and said, ‘Man, I’ll write him an email,’ and that really changed my mood.

“Schumacher in my early days is probably what Jimmie is for a lot of kids and guys in America in NASCAR. So to be with him on the car, it’s a great opportunity, and I’m so looking forward to it.”

Johnson and Rockenfeller connected face to face for the first time since the Le Mans email on Dec. 9, 2020 when their Action Express Racing team tested at Daytona International Speedway.

“Super nice guy,” Rockenfeller said. “Great driver, obviously, but also a nice person. Which is always important in endurance racing. What’s good in our lineup, each driver had a good career, but there’s no ego. It’s not like we need to prove something. We want to enjoy what we’re doing and do our very best, and the big goal is obviously to get a new watch.”

In another “small world” story on the No. 48 team, Johnson also already was good friends with Pagenaud, whose wife, Hailey, grew up in El Cajon, California, and is tight with Johnson’s younger brother Jessie. Jimmie Johnson and Pagenaud were in Jessie Johnson’s wedding together a year ago.

“It’s really cool; a great personal story for me to join the legend,” said Pagenaud, the 2016 IndyCar champion and 2019 Indy 500 winner.

“I feel like with Simon and Rocky there’s a very similar, passionate desire that we all have, and the way that we carry ourselves,” Jimmie Johnson said.

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them, and hopefully this is just the start of things for us at this race, and maybe we can do some more racing with one another down the road.”

Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Martin Truex Jr. took part in a Goodyear tire test on Tuesday to shakedown the tire selection for NASCAR’s debut at the 20-turn, 3.41-mile road course.

All three NASCAR national series – Cup, Xfinity and Trucks – will compete on the course in Austin, Texas, for the first time May 21-23.

Each driver at times described the course as “fun” and they all agreed it appeared to be a mix of the tire wear typically seen at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway and the high-speed straightaways and hard braking zones of Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

What the champs think

Keselowski said it seemed the course was made to produce a lot of action and hard racing.

“Turn 1 is designed as though a fan said, ‘How can I have the most calamity in that corner on the start?’ So there’s a couple of things – first off, it’s up hill, which helps the car stop, so it encourages the driver to try to out-brake another driver, which is big on a restart or a start because all of the cars are already so close together,” he said.

“Second thing is, it’s really wide on entry, so it’s almost impossible to block because there’s just a lot more race track. And then, of course, the third part is it’s a super slow corner meaning you have to use a lot of brakes to get through there.

“So, like I said, almost like it was intentional – I’m sure it was intentional – to create some epic starts. I think you’ll see that here.”

Elliott, the reigning series champion, said the track appeared to have a lot of “character” and he hoped fans who have been used to IndyCar and Formula 1 races at COTA would give NASCAR a chance.

“It’s just a different type of racing. We’re not going near as fast as those cars do, but I feel like the product and the competitiveness on track and us being able to race around each other is much more feasible with the speeds we’re going and how big and heavy these cars are,” he said.

“No, it’s not the ‘ooohhhs’ and ‘aaahhhs’ of going through the esses at however fast those guys go, but I do think the racing’s better to watch, and I think that’s what’s made NASCAR popular over the years, and I’m not sure why that would be any different here.”

Truex said his first laps around COTA left him with a good impression and a lot of questions.

“Really all the turns for me this morning were like, ‘OK, this is pretty cool; this is going to take a lot of figuring out.’ Like I said earlier, my learning curve was really steep,” he said. “I’ve had no practice. I’ve never seen this track before, never watched a race here before.

“I literally watched five minutes of in-car footage last night, I think it was a Porsche going around this place, and I was like, ‘OK, this looks pretty straightforward.’ Then you get out here and you’ve got the elevation changes. You’ve got the blind corners. Those are the things that take time to learn because you’ve got to go off of instinct more than what you’re seeing.

“It takes over two minutes to get around here, so if you make a mistake, you’ve got to wait two minutes to correct it, and you can’t forget it when you come back around. It was interesting to do that and a lot of fun to do that.”

All drivers will see some track time before the inaugural NASCAR races in May.

The COTA race is one of several this season where drivers in all three series will get on-track practice time and a qualifying session during the race weekend.

As far as tire that Goodyear tested for the race weekend, Keselowski said everything looked good so far.

“It’s called a Goodyear tire test, but I think of it as a NASCAR test that Goodyear’s at because Goodyear’s here as well, just trying different version of tires – just keeping their eyes open for anything that might be an issue when we come back here,” he said.

“So far, there’s no indications of anything like that, so we’re checking all the boxes to make sure we’re prepared.”

Just a day after announcing the May 5th debut of its next-gen car, NASCAR gave us our best yet look (and listen) to the new Cup Series machine on track. This is a radically new stock car underneath, but it sounds like classic NASCAR.

That's because the V-8 from the current Cup Series car will be carried over into the Next Gen car. Our colleagues at Autoweek explain that this V-8 will be replaced by some sort of hybrid powertrain within the next decade. So at least for now, what's under the hood isn't really changing, though the pushrod V-8 will be mated to a five-speed sequential gearbox instead of a four-speed H-pattern. The Next Gen car will also get independent rear suspension, and wider tires on 18-inch aluminum wheels with center-locking nuts. The series also confirmed that the car will still use a steel-tube frame.

NASCAR has been testing a generic version of the Next Gen car for a few years now, and on May 5, we'll see Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota's specific versions of the car. Next year will be the first competition year for the new stock car, and we're curious to see how it shakes up the racing. It will represent a big step forward for NASCAR, but the Next Gen car should still be recognizable as a stock car. We also expect it to be much improved on road courses, which now figure more prominently on the Cup Series calendar.

We'll be watching closely on the 5th.

It always seemed a matter of time before Jeff Gordon took on a more significant role with Hendrick Motorsports. That time now has a date.

Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that Gordon had been named vice chairman of the company. He will be the second-ranking team official behind chairman and team owner Rick Hendrick. Gordon formally assumes the role on Jan. 1, 2022.

In his role, Gordon will focus on the organization’s competition and marketing groups. Gordon, who already has a daily presence at Hendrick, will work alongside team president Marshall Carlson and general manager Jeff Andrews. Additionally, Gordon joins Hendrick on NASCAR’s team owner council and will assume the Hendrick Motorsports’ seat on the diversity, equity, and inclusion committee.

“I cannot put into words what Hendrick Motorsports means to me,” Gordon said. “In many ways, it’s my home, and the people here are my family. I’ve never lost my passion for the organization, for our sport, and for the sheer challenge of racing and winning at the highest level. Being part of the competition is where I’m happiest, and feel I can make the biggest contribution to the continued, long-term success of the team.

“Rick and I have a shared vision, which is based on the values he’s instilled, the culture he’s built, and our desire to be the very best in all categories, on and off the track.”

Gordon drove for Hendrick from 1992 until he retired from full-time competition following the 2015 season. Driving the No. 24 Chevrolet, Gordon won 93 races and four championships. During his Cup Series career, Gordon won every major NASCAR Cup Series race. Gordon became an equity owner of Hendrick Motorsports in 1999 and remains Hendrick’s only partner.

“Jeff and I have talked about this for many years, and I feel it’s a natural evolution for him and our company,” said Hendrick. “I’ve always been impressed with his business instincts. On some level, he’s been involved in every major decision we’ve made over the last two decades, and his influence has continued to grow since he stopped driving. He understands our culture, our values, and the importance we place on our people and our partnerships.

“I love racing and competing, and Jeff is the only person I know who hates to lose as much as I do. I feel great physically and have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon, which is exactly why it’s the right time. In the years to come, I couldn’t be more energized about working arm-in-arm with him and cementing the future of Hendrick Motorsports together.”

Gordon will leave his broadcast duties with Fox Sports at the end of the year. Gordon has served as an analyst with Fox Sports since 2016.

“I cannot thank the entire Fox Sports family enough for the incredible opportunity I’ve had over the past six seasons,” Gordon said. “I’ve come to truly appreciate the responsibility of bringing the sport to our fans and the tremendous work that goes into our broadcasts each and every week. I’m certainly going to miss it, but I will forever be grateful to Fox for the experience and for the trust they’ve placed in me. It’s been a privilege to work with such a talented group of people.”

“Just like he did on the track, Jeff distinguished himself as an all-time winner on our Fox Sports team,” said Eric Shanks, chief executive officer & executive producer of Fox Sports. “While we are sad to see him go, everyone at Fox Sports wishes Jeff nothing but continued success.”

NASCAR stated Monday that delivery of Next Gen chassis to Cup teams should begin at the end of this week.

The delivery follows an independent safety panel’s review of data from a June 30 crash test at Talladega Superspeedway.

NASCAR informed drivers that it was pleased with the panel’s assessment and will move forward with the building and delivery process of the Next Gen car, which will make its debut next season.

NASCAR had informed drivers July 4 that crash testing of a Next Gen car “indicates good and comparable performance” when compared to other right front crashes with non-Next Gen cars.

Cup teams are off for the next two weekends. Cup teams return to race Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen International on NBCSN. That begins a stretch of 14 consecutive weekends of racing. The season ends Nov. 7 at Phoenix Raceway.

Hamlin said his new-found interest in F1 has come from several of his friends paying attention to it and by watching “Drive to Survive,” a popular documentary series produced in a collaboration between Netflix and Formula One to give a behind-the-scenes look at the sport.

“I think this year I’ve probably watched more (F1) races than I have my whole life, for sure. Some of that is driven by social media. My friends are tuning into it. You see that the American press is giving it more attention this year,” Hamlin said.

“Obviously, when you see a buzz or see something on social media about it, you want to kind of tune in and see what’s going on. That’s kind of driven my interest in it, more so than anything.”

Hamlin said his involvement with Netflix in a documentary on driver Bubba Wallace and his first season with 23XI Racing, which Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan, also encouraged him to check out “Drive to Survive.”

“It certainly made me tune into that to see how they did the production on that and certainly it came across with some good storylines,” he said. “Certainly, I’m a person that will turn into that series as it continues.”

Hamlin, who remains in contention to win his first series championship this year, said NASCAR needs to find a way to make its race weekends more of a “show,” and capitalize on the more competitive racing found in NASCAR.

“It’s crazy because you know – you’ve got probably a 90 percent chance of picking which two guys are going to win (each F1 race). This year has been a little bit different with craziness going on, but there is two people that can win, two teams that can win,” Hamlin said. “There is not much side-by-side racing, as compared to NASCAR, but yet fans and media love it.

“When you talk about how critical fans or media or whoever might be of our racing in NASCAR, it’s head and shoulders above anything going right now. The show is good. Why can’t we get people to turnout?

“Texas was just a big disappointment seeing what was up in the stands there, and yet we are talking about the biggest crowd in history showing up for the COTA F1 race next week. So, there is some kind of disconnect that’s going on that’s not making this deal work.”

There have, of course, been several sold-out and highly attended NASCAR Cup races in the 2021 season but the atmosphere generated around each weekend varies from track to track.

There remain several protocols in place from the COVID-19 pandemic that limit the number of people in garages and on pit road before races. All but eight race weekends in the Cup series did not have practice or qualifying this year.

In addition, many sponsors cut their at-track activation during the height of the pandemic and not all have returned to former levels.

Hamlin, 40, believes NASCAR can learn something from how F1 is able to maintain the “hype” surrounding its events, even if the racing on the track isn’t as competitive.

“I would love to see us have more of an F1-style approach to a race weekend and how we host hospitalities, parties, just all of those things,” Hamlin said.

“There’s just got to be more to it than us showing up and racing like we are doing right now.”

“Texas was just a big disappointment seeing what was up in the stands there, and yet we are talking about the biggest crowd in history showing up for the COTA F1 race next week. So, there is some kind of disconnect that’s going on that’s not making this deal work.”

It appears that for the first time in NASCAR’s 72-year history there won’t be a Petty as an active participant or majority team owner in the sport next year.

It was announced late Wednesday that long-time team owner Maury Gallagher has purchased the majority interest in Richard Petty Motorsports from Richard Petty, 84, effective immediately.

Family patriarch Lee Petty competed in the first Cup Series race at Charlotte in 1949, finishing an accident-related 19th. He raced virtually full-time (54 victories and three championships) until serious injuries ended his Hall of Fame career in 1963. By then, his eldest son, Richard, was well on the way to his own Hall of Fame career that included 200 victories and seven championships.

Late in Richard’s career, his son, Kyle, began his own driving career. He won eight races between his debut in 1979 and his retirement in 2008. He remains close to the sports as a well-regarded television commentator.

Upon his retirement in 1992, Richard moved full time into team ownership. It was a solo venture for several years, until he joined with Ray Evernham and George Gillett, and later with New York businessman Andrew M. Murstein. It was renamed Richard Petty Motorsports in 2008.

At various times throughout the 1990s-2000’s Petty-affiliated teams have featured Kyle Petty, both Terry and Bobby Labonte, Christian Fittipaldi, John Andretti, Aric Almirola, Bill Elliott, Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose, Sam Hornish Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Patrick Carpentier, Elliott Sadler, Bubba Wallace, Erik Jones, and Brian Scott. Its last victory was from Almirola at Daytona in July 2014.

Fourth-generation racer Adam Petty—Lee's great grandson, Richard's grandson, and Kyle's son—was killed during an Xfinity Series practice session in May of 2000 at Loudon, N.H. He was 19, and likely going to move into the Cup Series within the next two or three years,

Gallagher, from Las Vegas, came into NASCAR with the Camping World Truck Series in 2013. He’s been full-time in that series for the past nine years, getting 41 victories from 14 drivers. His GEM team won the 2016 Truck Series title with Johnny Sauter and the 2020 title with Sheldon Creed.

The sale from Petty to Gallagher includes the two RPM charters for use in 2022. It remains uncertain whether the new GMS team will retain Erik Jones, last year’s RPM driver, or Gallagher will bring his own driver. Details of the sale are expected to be announced next week at a press conference in Charlotte.

The iconic M&M’s NASCAR liveries will have its last hoorah during the 2022 season before Mars, one of NASCAR’s longtime sponsors, steps back from the series. With it goes one of NASCAR’s most kid-friendly sponsors and a reason for new fans to find interest in the sport.

On Dec. 20, 2021, Sports Business Journal reported that Mars, Inc., a brand perhaps best known for its M&M’s products, would be leaving both Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR overall. The M&M’s brand first endered the series in the 1990s and has been a primary sponsor for JGR, adorning Kyle Busch’s cars since 2008 — which has included over 50 wins and two NASCAR Cup Series championships. On occasions, some of Mars’ other brands — Snickers, Skittles, Pedigree, and Double Mint — have also starred on the Cup car’s wrap.

The move signals the end of an era for JGR but for NASCAR as a whole. In the past, iconic drivers often maintained a similar paint scheme through much of their careers; nowadays, that’s a rare feat. Kyle Busch and his M&M’s car have served as a mainstay for the sport for almost 15 years.

But M&M’s was also one of the few NASCAR brands that catered directly to children, that kids could point out on TV screens or in grocery stores and say, “I like that car.”

It was easily recognizable, one of those cars that you gravitate toward because you actually know the brand and like the livery. It made it easy for kids to pick a favorite. On Twitter, several fans pointed out that the M&M’s livery was a key beginning point for their NASCAR fandom:

While the disappearance of the sponsor likely isn’t going to cause drastic harm to NASCAR, but it’s also not a great look for future generations. The lack of identifiable brands for kids, though, does hurt the longevity of the sport.

“I have been incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to represent Mars for nearly 15 years now,” Kyle Busch said of the split. “During this time, Mars Associates have been like family to myself, Samantha, and Brexton. In particular, my friendship with the Mars Family will be something that will last a lifetime. We have a relationship so much deeper than just having the honor of driving their colorful cars.”

NASCAR officials have updated the Cup Series rulebook concerning penalties for violations to the new Next Gen race car.

Teams will still be penalized under a tiered system, which is now levels L1 to L3 infractions. And the harshest L3 penalties for modifications to the Next Gen car or any parts from the vendors includes not only the loss of playoff points and crew member suspensions, but a post-season ban.

“As we discussed during the test at Charlotte, and at length with teams over the offseason, the new deterrence model will be a culture shift for our industry,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “The car was a collaborative project, designed to emphasize performance at the track and the unrivaled abilities of our teams, drivers and pit crews.

“There will be strong penalties for any teams who run contrary to that design so the fans can focus on our drivers and the great racing expected from NASCAR.”

Violations in the L1 category include:

– Failing post-race weight requirements

– Source parts not meeting NASCAR rules

– Failures in the parts submission and approval process

Penalties would be the loss of 20 to 75 points; the loss of one to 10 playoff points; a crew member suspension for one to three races; fines between $25,000-$100,000.

Violations in the L2 category:

– Modifications to Next Gen parts

– Violations of the engine-seal requirements

– Unapproved alterations to the engine control system wiring

– Use of unapproved on-board electronics

Penalties would be the loss of 75 to 120 points; the loss of 10 to 25 playoff points; suspension of one or two crew members for four to six races; fines between $100,000-$250,000.

Violations in the L3 category:

– Counterfeiting or modifying Next Gen parts

– Engine infractions and performance enhancements

– ECU or EFI violations

– Modifying tires and/or fuel

– Violating the private team testing policy

Penalties include the loss of 120 to 180 points; the loss of 25 to 50 playoff points; suspension of one or two crew members for six races; fines between $250,000 to $500,000; losing postseason eligibility; one-race suspension for the team, in the event of repeat high-level violations.

Ex-Red Bull Formula 1 racer Daniil Kvyat will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Indianapolis Road Course this weekend, the first of three races with Team Hezeberg.

Kvyat, 28, will drive a second entry for Team Hezeberg in the series’ three remaining road course events this season – Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Aug. 21 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and the Oct. 9 race on the Charlotte Roval.

Team Hezeberg is a joint effort between racing legend Toine Hezemans and Dutch entrepreneur Ernst Berg, and has fielded the No. 27 Ford Mustang in several races this season on a part-time basis.

Loris Hezemans will drive the No. 27 Ford this weekend, while Kvyat will drive the No. 26 Toyota.

“I’m very happy to be able to make my NASCAR Cup Series debut at Indianapolis. I have always been passionate about racing in NASCAR, the top form of motorsport in the United States,” Kyvat said.

“NASCAR has always been intriguing to me, as it is a pure form of motorsport to me.”

At the start of the 2013 season, Daniil Kvyat made his debut in the GP3 Series, scoring three wins and five total podiums and ultimately winning the championship in 2013. Kvyat debuted in Formula 1 for Toro Rosso at the start of the 2014 season, at just 19 years old. At the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, Kvyat finished 9th in the race, setting the record as the youngest points-scorer in F1, a record formerly held by Sebastian Vettel.

Following a successful 2014 season, Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull Racing for the 2015 season. His first of three podium finishes came at the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix, becoming the second youngest driver to claim a podium spot, at age 21. He continued in the Red Bull driver program until 2020, finishing his Formula 1 career at Alpine as a reserve driver in 2021.

“I’m looking forward to being successful in this form of motorsport and I hope to contend for wins and championships in the future. I can’t thank NASCAR, Josh Reaume, Toine Hezemans, Ernst Berg, and everybody at Team Hezeberg enough for the opportunity,” he said.

“The guys at the shop have been working tirelessly to prepare machine and myself for this experience. It will be my first time at Indianapolis, and I am looking forward to seeing it in person. From what I have seen on video, Indianapolis is a challenging circuit, but I’m looking forward to that challenge, along with competing in the NASCAR Cup Series.”

In February, Kvyat signed for G-Drive Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship to make his debut in the sportscar arena including the Le Mans 24 Hours, but the team then pulled out following the FIA laying down criteria for Russian competitors following the invasion of Ukraine.

G-Drive team principal Roman Rusinov stated on social media that he would “not put my signature on this document” and expressed disappointment that members of the team “won’t compete for GDR”.

After being on the sidelines all season as a result, team co-owner Josh Reaume said he believed NASCAR is a great destination for Kvyat’s next motorsports venture.

“Daniil is a very talented driver with an amazing amount of open wheel experience. In my opinion, NASCAR is a great spot for Daniil to end up at, especially with the Next-Gen’s capabilities throughout many styles of racing,” Reaume said.

“I’m looking forward to being a part of Daniil’s transition to NASCAR, and helping him however I possibly can.”

At Watkins Glen, Kvyat will be joined in the Cup field by former Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who will drive a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 alongside Trackhouse Racing teammates Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain.