Kamui Kobayashi to race at COTA with 23XI Racing
AUSTIN, Texas — Sports car star Kamui Kobayashi will return to the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of the Americas with 23XI Racing.
Kobayashi will run the No. 50 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry for the organization. The number choice commemorates the 50th anniversary of Mobil 1.
Last August, Kobayashi made his Cup Series debut with 23XI Racing, driving their No. 67 Toyota at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit.
While he finished 33rd after an incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., he said he wanted to return to the series.
Kobayashi has a win in the 24 Hours of LeMans (2021) and two wins in the 24 Hours of Daytona (2019, ’20) plus 16 wins and two championships in the FIA World Endurance Championship, to this name. He also earned a podium and 125 career points in 75 Formula One starts.
His start at COTA will mark the third start for the third 23XI entry. Travis Pastrana finished 11th in the 2023 Daytona 500 – the third entry’s only start without Kobayashi.
The NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA goes green Sunday, March 24, just after 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN affiliates and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com