Kenko Miura and his team Team Japan Needs24 are set to make their return at Oschersleben after they missed the previous three rounds due to unexpected schedule conflicts.
Another pinch of international flavor will be added to the NASCAR GP Germany after NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced that Kenko Miura (三浦健光) and his self-owned team Team Japan Needs24 will be back for next weeks’ race at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben.
Miura, a EuroNASCAR veteran and winner of the 2018 Challenger Trophy, had been planning to compete for the full-season in 2023. Unfortunately, he missed the previous three rounds. Miura revealed to euronascar.com that unexpected schedule conflicts was the reason why he was unable to fulfill his full-season plans.
His previous outing with the No. 74 Needs24 Toyota Camry at Valencia brought in promising results. Miura finished all four races and was consistently fighting inside the top-15. He also brought home two Trophy podiums – one in Challenger and one in Legend.
“I started my own team at the end of last year and planned to do the full season, but scheduling conflicts threw a wrench in my plans,” said the 44-year old driver from Tokyo to euronascar.com.
“So I decided to do a part-time program in 2023 and the NASCAR GP Germany at Oschersleben will be my second race weekend after the season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Spain. We had a good pace there and were able to match the times of the front runners.”
“It’s exciting to be back in EuroNASCAR. I’m happy to be back at Oschersleben with my team and to be part of an event that is taking place for the first time. To be the only Japanese driver on the grid is a great honor and I want to fight for trophies.”
Miura and Team Japan Needs24’s return meant that there are four continents that will be represented at Oschersleben: Europe, South America, North America and Asia. South America is represented by Marko Stipp Motorsport’s German-Brazilian driver Nick Schneider, who chose to race with the Brazilian license in 2023.
North America will be represented by Ryan Vargas, who is making his EuroNASCAR debut with 3F Racing. Vargas, 3F’s Head of Team and Driver Development and a regular in the Xfinity and Truck Series, will be racing the No. 30 Critical Path Security Chevrolet Camaro as part of his unique Germany-Talladega doubleheader plan.
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