Photo: Charlie Crowhurst (Getty Images)
The introduction of the Next Gen car and the addition of several new road course races have attracted a diverse range of international talent to the NASCAR Cup Series. One standout is three-time Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen, who won his debut race in Chicago. However, there are many other new stars in the series. Formula 1 champions Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen made their Cup debuts, along with sports car ace and former Jalopnik contributor Mike Rockenfeller.
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This weekend, Rockenfeller will make his third Cup Series start at the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, driving Legacy Motor Club’s No. 42 Chevy Camaro in place of Noah Gragson. He will also race the same car later this month at Watkins Glen. Earlier this year, Rockenfeller teamed up with Legacy team owner Jimmie Johnson to race the Garage 56 Camaro in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Photo: Darrell Ingham (Getty Images)
The 39-year-old German driver gained recognition at Le Mans, winning the GT2 class in 2005. He then became an integral part of Audi’s Le Mans Prototype dominance. In 2010, he secured an overall victory at Le Mans in an Audi R15 TDI plus, alongside Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas. He remained an Audi factory driver until the end of the 2021 season, winning the DTM championship in 2013.
Rockenfeller had long desired to enter stock car racing but was unable to due to his commitments with Audi. He recognized it would be one of the most challenging endeavors of his career. His two races at the Glen and the Roval with Spire Motorsports last year resulted in 30th and 29th place finishes. Only time will tell if Rockenfeller can improve his record this month with another year of experience.