Japanese NASCAR Whelen Euro Series veteran Kenko Miura will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on July 6 at the Chicago Street Course. The veteran Challenger Trophy contender will pilot the #53 Toyota Camry for Joey Gase Motorsports. Mike Hillman Sr. will serve as crew chief for Miura’s first Street Course outing, while Ryan Blanchard will be the main spotter.
Racing in NASCAR in the US was always a dream for Miura, who made his American debut in 2022 when he took part in the NASCAR Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio. The Tokyo native boasts 66 starts in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with two wins in the Challenger Trophy category for elite amateur drivers in the EuroNASCAR PRO championship. He finished a career-best 11th in points in 2018 in EuroNASCAR 2.
“My dream is to race in the US in the Cup Series and on the way to fulfil this dream I’m joining the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Chicago” said Miura. “It’s going to be a difficult race and a very stimulating challenge. I will do my best to make the field and I hope I can finish somewhere around the top-15. Getting a top-10 finish would be fantastic.”
“Our Joey Gase Motorsport’s team is extremely excited to have Kenko driving our #53 car in the streets of Chicago!” Said Gase. “Although this will be Kenko’s first NASCAR XFINITY Series start he is a very mature and experienced road course driver and I know that will help our team be successful in Chicago!”
There will be two drivers with EuroNASCAR experience on the grid in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Chicago: four-time NWES champion Alon Day, the winningest driver in EuroNASCAR history, will pilot the #45 Chevrolet Camaro for Alpha Prime Racing.
The “Loop 110” will be the 18th race of the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and will take place on July 6. Practice will start at 16:20 CEST, immediately followed by a group Qualifying session. The 95-lap (110 miles) race is scheduled for 19:30 CEST.
NWES PR
