This weekend at COTA proved to be quite the challenge for NASCAR’s international racers. While all eyes were on Australian supercars sensation Shane van Gisbergen and Former F1 star Kamui Kobayashi, the road course proved to throw curveballs for even the most experienced. Whilst Kamui Kobayashi was spun around not once but twice, Shane van Gisbergen also caught back-to-back penalties at the Xfinity and Cup race, making this weekend one they’d rather forget.

The Cup Series’ international drivers get an unwelcome wake-up call at COTA

During the Xfinity race, the Kiwi was one of the most dominant forces on track before contact with Austin Hill left him out of contention for the win. To make things worse, SvG received a penalty for track limit violations that dropped him back to 27th.

Whilst van Gisbergen hoped he’d have better luck during the Cup Race, that would be far from the case. After maintaining a solid grip on the top ten, the Kiwi fell victim to yet another penalty after he was caught speeding in the pit lane.  The penalty put SVG down to 34th after he served it, eventually fighting back to 25th as of lap 32. Just like that, one of this weekend’s most experienced road course racers was out of contention once again.

However, he wasn’t the only international star suffering at COTA; Kamui Kobayashi’s race would also unfold for the worst on the same lap. The former F1 driver and WEC champion joined forces with the #50 Camry XSE for 23XI Racing at COTA and was slowly making his way up the field after starting in 25th.

As Kobayashi made his way up to 18th in the 23XI Racing challenger, the Japanese driver fell victim to Déjà vu. The #50 Toyota tussled with Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s #47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevy, eventually spinning out and dropping down to 36th, 33 seconds off Stage 2 winner Denny Hamlin.

Last year, a similar altercation with Stenhouse Jr led to Kobayashi finishing 33rd at the flag. Pointing this out, the Japanese driver was livid on his team radio. Frontstretch insider Stephen Stumpf shared on X, “Just punted us again, same sh*t he did last year.” -50 radio”

It’s safe to say that Kamui Kobayashi and Shane van Gisbergen’s road course experience didn’t translate to success at COTA. While it was easier for SVG to accept his outcome owing to his mistakes, Kobayashi felt he couldn’t have done things differently.

Will Kobayashi return to the Cup Series after repeated heartbreak?

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Looking back on the incident with Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Kobayashi showcased great awareness and respect for the full-time driver. Stating that he had nothing to say, the Japanese ace felt he didn’t have any explanation since he didn’t do anything wrong. In his words, Stenhouse Jr had just hit him. Eventually, the weekend ended with Kobayashi finishing 30th, a three-place gain over his debut finish at Indy.

Setting aside his run-in with Stenhouse Jr, Kobayashi was in good spirits. He shared with FrontStretch,  “I mean I have nothing to say. Can’t say I have explanations and I think they have an explanation because I didn’t do anything wrong, he just hit me by. But you know, I think I felt pretty good. I feel comfortable in the car, the pace was good just you know, but no yellow.”

Reflecting on the fact that not a single caution was triggered by a racing incident, Kobayashi felt he could have done little to recover after facing two spins. He added, “The pace was there, so it’s been a shame, you know. Someone just you know, damaged my race.” 

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When the dust had settled, Kobayashi painfully revealed that he didn’t think there was a point in returning in 2024. While the TRD veteran would love another shot behind the Camry XSE, he felt the result just didn’t seem to come up. Kobayashi concluded, “I think the pace was good, but the result doesn’t come up. But you know, in the short notice and the short practice I think definitely improved compared to Indy.”