TC Daily Pit Stop: Kobayashi, Kvyat Making NASCAR Returns at COTA; Larson Feels NASCAR's Horsepower Excuse Doesn't Hold Water; Exclusive Interview with Derek Kneeland
TC Daily Pit Stop: Thursday, March 14th, 2024
Derek Kneeland Remained Humble on Path to Being a Respected Spotter in NASCAR
Derek Kneeland, the spotter for Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series, Austin Hill in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and Nick Sanchez in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, has become one of the best spotters in the NASCAR National Series ranks over the last decade and a half. It should come as no surprise that Hill and Sanchez have ripped off wins early in the 2024 season and that Busch’s transition from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing last season was so smooth.
While the native of Maine remains humble, Kneeland has been an integral component of the success of all three drivers.
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Kamui Kobayashi Returning to 23XI Racing for Cup Series Race at COTA
After debuting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Road Course last season, Kamui Kobayashi is returning to the NASCAR Cup Series for a second opportunity later on this month at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
The 37-year-old driver will partner with 23XI Racing for the second straight year, piloting the No. 50 Toyota Camry XSE, a third entry for the NASCAR Cup Series team co-owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. 23XI Racing made the announcement with a social media graphic shared to X on Wednesday afternoon.
Mobil 1 will serve as the primary sponsorship partner of the entry of Kobayashi, a two-time World Driver Champion (WDC) in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
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Kyle Larson Feels NASCAR Excuses for Not Increasing Horsepower Don’t Hold Water
Add Kyle Larson to the growing list of drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series that would like to see a move to increase horsepower in the Next Gen car after the revised short-track package only improved the product at Phoenix Raceway very minimally this past weekend.
Larson was on the Dale Jr. Download this week, where the topic came up, and he said he’s confused as to why NASCAR is so reluctant to at least give additional horsepower in an attempt to see if it could improve the racing at short tracks.
“At least try it,” Larson said. “Just take us to, I don’t know, Richmond or wherever, and go test. Go to Martinsville. Go test and try it out.”
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Daniil Kvyat Returns to NASCAR in SS-GreenLight Racing Entry at COTA
Daniil Kvyat, who initially dipped his toe into the NASCAR waters with three NASCAR Cup Series starts and one NASCAR Xfinity Series start in 2022, will return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for SS-GreenLight Racing in the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas.
Kvyat will have partners for the event including GoTrax, and Sonoma Aviation.
“I’m thrilled to have Daniil in the No. 07 at COTA,” said SS-GreenLight team owner Bobby Dotter. “You can’t get much better than a former F1 driver for a road course ringer. Daniil is a great competitor, but he’s also a great partner for our team. He’s been in the shop every day since he got to Charlotte helping to get the car ready and getting to know the team. We’re looking forward to seeing what he does on the track.”
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