Australian Driver to Make NASCAR Cup Series Debut in the No. 33 MobileX Chevrolet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Race fans in Australia recognize Brodie Kostecki for his prowess on racetracks all over Australia and New Zealand. Afterall, the Aussie-based driver is currently leading the Repco Supercar Series championship standings. But this weekend, Kostecki is hoping the long trip from his native Australia to the heartland of America is well worth the trip when he’s introduced to an American racing fan base for his NASCAR Cup Series debut. Kostecki is scheduled to race the No. 33 MobileX Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard. The race is live on NBC at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 13th.
MobileX and VAILO will back Kostecki‘s entry for his first start in NASCAR‘s top-level series.
At 26-years-old, Kostecki is the newest face in the RCR stable. Kostecki spent nine years in North Carolina and is no stranger to racing in the United States. He moved to the U.S. in 2011 to compete in the USAC Ford Focus Series, winning three national championships and earning 27 feature wins. At 15-years-old, Kostecki won his first Late Model Series race at Rockingham Speedway in 2013. Kostecki has 16 ARCA Menards East Series starts with two poles (Iowa, Watkins Glen), one top-five (Dover), and four top-10s in 2014 driving for his family-owned team.
Kostecki returned to Perth, Australia in 2017 joining the Dunlop Super2 Series. Kostecki won six Dunlop Super2 Series races over a three-year span before starting his Supercars career in 2019. In 2021, Kostecki went full-time and finished ninth in the championship standings and seventh in 2022.
Kostecki’s 2023 Repco Supercars Championship has seen a breakout year for the Erebus Motorsport driver, with two wins, 13 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Kostecki is currently leading the Repco Supercars Championship standings by 41 points over teammate Will Brown.
Kostecki is hoping his experience in the Supercars Series in Australia will translate to success in NASCAR given the similarities between the two cars.
“NextGen cars are very close to REPCO Supercars these days,” said Kostecki. “They are identical on the mechanical side, but the NASCAR Cup Series cars are different on the aero side than Supercars. That makes the transition easier than in the past. Obviously, we saw what Shane Van Gisbergen did at the Chicago Street Course last month by winning that race. As far as the race is concerned, we will take it as it comes, and hopefully, Shane and I will be able to find each other on the track so we can put on a show for the NASCAR fans like that which we do overseas.”
“I think a finish inside the top 10 would be a good goal for my first NASCAR Cup Series race. Richard Childress Racing has put a lot of effort into their road course program and won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course last year. It will be up to me how fast I get up to speed and learn the car. I think a top-10 is achievable. Looking forward to the race weekend and giving the No. 33 MobileX Chevrolet team 100%.”
RCR has had a proven track record of success with both the car number Kostecki is competing in and his crew chief for the race. Last season, RCR fielded the No. 33 for Austin Hill’s debut in the NASCAR Cup Series, and Kostecki’s teammate for Sunday’s race, Austin Dillon, found success racing the No. 33 in the NASCAR Cup Series on a part-time basis early in his career. Clint Bowyer drove the No. 33 fulltime for RCR in 2009-2011, notching three wins during that stretch.Justin Alexander, who currently serves as RCR’s director of vehicle performance, will serve as crew chief for the race. He helped guide Austin Dillon to some of the biggest wins of his career, including the Coca-Cola 600 and Daytona 500.
“My biggest challenge is going to be time,” said Kostecki. “Obviously, it’s a very short practice and my first time in the car. Getting up to speed is important to make laps and give my RCR team feedback as soon as possible. I’ve spent a lot of time this week at the GM tech center and at RCR in the simulators. This helped a lot with braking points, pit road entrance, and a line to drive.”
