Brodie Kostecki to make Cup Series debut with RCR at Indy road course
The NASCAR Cup Series is set to add a little more Australian Supercars flavor to the 2023 campaign as Richard Childress Racing announced Tuesday that Brodie Kostecki will make his Cup Series debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Kostecki — a native of Perth in Western Australia — will drive the No. 33 Chevrolet in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Aug. 13 (NBC, IMS Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). Sponsorship will be provided by cellular carrier MobileX and Australian-based technology company VAILO.
“I am thrilled to be making my NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Brickyard,” Kostecki said. “It‘s an honor to compete at such an iconic venue and against some of the biggest names in motorsports. I‘m incredibly grateful to RCR for giving me this opportunity, and I‘m determined to make the most of it.”
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Kostecki is a two-time winner this year on the Repco Supercars Championship circuit, where he ranks second in the series standings. The 25-year-old driver is the second ace from the Australian V8 tour to make a Cup Series appearance this year, following the dashing debut of Shane van Gisbergen, who drove the Trackhouse Racing Project 91 entry to victory in the inaugural Chicago Street Race earlier this month.
Kostecki earned the nickname “Bush” earlier in his racing career after he unbuckled from a moving car that had experienced brake failure, dismounted and slid what he estimated as nearly 500 feet into a bush. He will be teammates with RCR’s Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon with his latest stateside move.
Kostecki has experience and success racing in America. He prevailed in a UARA Late Model race at Rockingham Speedway as a 15-year-old prospect in 2013 and made 16 starts in what is now called the ARCA Menards Series East from 2013-14. Kostecki’s ARCA East tenure included two pole positions (Iowa, Watkins Glen) and a best finish of fifth place (Dover).
The announcement bolsters an already stacked international flair for the IMS road course event. Endurance-racing star Kamui Kobayashi of Japan is set for his Cup Series debut at Indy with 23XI Racing, and British Formula 1 champ Jenson Button is scheduled for the final event in a three-race slate with Rick Ware Racing.
MORE: Kobayashi set for Cup Series debut
The move brings the No. 33 to Cup Series competition for the first time this season. Austin Hill was the most recent driver to field the car number, making his Cup debut for the Richard Childress-owned team last August at Michigan International Speedway. Clint Bowyer is the last driver to win with No. 33, topping RCR teammate Jeff Burton at Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 23, 2011.
