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Former Formula One driver Daniil Kvyat will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday, Team Hezeberg announced on Tuesday. Kvyat will drive Hezeberg's No. 26 Toyota, which will serve as a team car to the No. 27 driven by Loris Hezemans.
Kvyat, 28 and from Ufa, Russia, will make his first try at stock car racing after spending six seasons in F1, racing for three different teams from 2014 to 2017 and then again from 2019 to 2020. Earlier in July, Kvyat accompanied Team Hezeberg to Road America, where he expressed his interest in racing NASCAR in a conversation with Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports.
"I'm looking forward to being successful in this form of motorsport and I hope to contend for wins and championships in the future. I can't thank NASCAR, Josh Reaume, Toine Hezemans, Ernst Berg, and everybody at Team Hezeberg enough for the opportunity," Kvyat said in a statement released by the team. "The guys at the shop have been working tirelessly to prepare machine and myself for this experience. It will be my first time at Indianapolis, and I am looking forward to seeing it in person.
"From what I have seen on video, Indianapolis is a challenging circuit, but I'm looking forward to that challenge, along with competing in the NASCAR Cup Series."
🚨ANNOUNCEMENT🚨: Team Hezeberg is proud to announce that Daniil Kvyat will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course THIS WEEKEND!! #TH27 pic.twitter.com/xMHLA71aUV
Kvyat makes his move to NASCAR after his plans for the 2022 season were dramatically altered earlier this year. Kvyat had been slated to drive an LMP2 car for G-Drive Racing in the World Endurance Championship, but the team withdrew after refusing to accept terms introduced by the FiA against Russian competitors following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
After winning the 2013 championship in GP3, Kvyat made a total of 110 starts in F1 between Toro Rosso, Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Kvyat earned three career podiums with a best finish of second in the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Kvyat becomes the second former F1 driver to enter a NASCAR Cup Series race this season, joining former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen , who will make his Cup debut in August at Watkins Glen. In addition, Kvyat will also become the first Russian driver to ever race in one of NASCAR's national touring series.
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