The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series keeps providing the best opportunities for its drivers to cross the Atlantic and compete in NASCAR in the United States. Japanese NWES driver Kenko Miura will take the wheel of the #33 Toyota Tundra fielded by Reaume Brothers Racing on July 9th at Mid-Ohio in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The #33 truck will be supported by Needs24, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Kiva.
Thirteen years after Wilfried Boucenna, who took part in the 2009 Toyota All-Star Showdown, Miura will become the 23rd of a long list of NWES drivers who earned a chance to measure themselves against the best NASCAR drivers in the US. He will also be the sixth to enter one of the three major NASCAR national series (NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series).
A native of Tokyo, Japan, Miura made his debut in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in 2017 and in 2018 won the Challenger Trophy, the classification dedicated to silver and bronze classified drivers in the EuroNASCAR PRO championship.
After being forced to sit out from the 2020 and 2021 NWES seasons due to the pandemic, Miura is ready to return in style and put the NASCAR road course experience he gained in EuroNASCAR to good use at the 13-turn, 3.6 Km road course located in Lexington, Ohio.
“I am very pleased to be able to participate in this NASCAR Camping World Track Series. We would like to thank EuroNASCAR, sponsors, media management teams and all who have been involved in making this happen. I raced and will continue to race in EuroNASCAR,” said the 42 year old. “However, racing in the home of NASCAR in the United States was one of my goals. I understand that it is very difficult to race overseas as a Japanese or Asian, but this is not about giving up, it’s about taking on challenges and it can lead to new sceneries no one can see yet. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a very high-level series, but I would like to understand the machine, work with the team, and spend the race week positively.”
“We are very happy to support Kenko’s initiative to discover NASCAR racing in the USA. This is fully part of our attributions to prepare and accompany our drivers in their projects to race in the USA.” explained Jerome Galpin, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series President – CEO. “Of course this is a big challenge due to the very few practice time allowed to new competitors, but we are confident Kenko can qualify for the race, even in his very first try.”
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio will take place on July 9th at 19:30 CEST (1:30 PM EDT). The race will be 67 laps long and feature three stages. The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will provide social media updates from the track on its profiles: Facebook, Twitter (@EuroNASCAR) and Instagram (@EuroNASCAR).
NWES PR
