Former Formula 1 Driver Returns to NASCAR Xfinity Series in COTA

SS Green Light Racing has announced that former Formula 1 driver, Daniil Kvyat will be returning to NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the No.7 Chevrolet car at COTA. The 29-year-old Russian driver competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Kvyat made his Formula 1 debut with the team Toro Rosso back in 2015 and finished 15th in the driver’s championship. Moving on, he joined the likes of Redbull, and Alpha Tauri, racking 110 starts in the premier motorsports competition. Kvyat last competed in NASCAR during the 2022 season when he made three starts for Team Hezeberg in the Cup Series, along with a start for Sam Hunt Racing.

Daniil Kvyat excited to be back racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series

The 29-year-old driver will be making his return to NASCAR by driving for SS Green Light Racing on March 23 in the Xfinity Series. Back in 2022, Kvyat competed in both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series. Driving Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 26, he managed a 15th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also made three starts for Team Hezeberg in the Cup Series.

Daniil, after announcing his return to the Xfinity Series via Jayski said, “I’m excited to get back into NASCAR. I had a lot of fun in my previous races. The competition style is very different from F1 and World Endurance. I’m especially looking forward to my race at COTA. I’ve been there with the F1, so it will be interesting to experience the track in a Camaro.”

Bobby Dotter, owner of SS Green Light Racing shared, “I’m thrilled to have Daniil in the #07 at COTA. 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 single 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 race track.”

The Russian driver recently competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar, driving the Lamborghini Iron Lynx in Qatar.

Kvyat shares positives after his first race at the FIA World Endurance Championship 2024

In 2023, the Russian driver managed a 9th-place finish in the overall standings while competing in the World Endurance Championship with Perma Racing. Coming into 2024, he decided to switch teams and try his hands at competing in the event driving the Lamborghini Iron Lynx.

In his first race of the season in Qatar, he could only manage a 14th-place finish. But given that he took on the big challenge of competing in the prototype car, he was satisfied with the result. “I think we have to look at the positives, we can consider this a great start to the journey. We managed to finish the race, which was a target for us.” Kvyat said via Motorsports.

Making a return to NASCAR racing, it will be interesting to see if Daniil Kvyat manages to leap past his best finish in the Xfinity Series, which currently stands at #15.

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