RICHARD Childress believes Brodie Kostecki, a Supercars star, has the potential to transition to a full-time career in the United States, aiming to enter him in up to five NASCAR races next season.
Childress, 78, is currently in Adelaide attending the Adelaide 500 as a guest of Erebus Motorsport, with whom Kostecki hopes to clinch his first Supercars Championship title in just his third season.
Both Erebus and Childress’ NASCAR team have developed a partnership in recent years, mainly focusing on aiding the latter’s road course program.
Kostecki, who spent his teenage years racing in NASCAR’s junior leagues while based in the US, made his debut in the Cup Series at Indianapolis in August, joining an additional RCR entry.
Unlike his Supercars rival Shane van Gisbergen’s successful debut on the new Chicago street course the previous month, Kostecki’s Indianapolis run was marred by mechanical issues and a crash during qualifying, relegating him to a 22nd place finish.
Despite this, Childress, who took a lap around the Adelaide circuit with Kostecki on Thursday, is full of praise for the 26-year-old and is determined to run him in multiple races next year, actively seeking sponsorship opportunities during his time in Adelaide.
“We didn’t do him a good job, our team didn’t do him a good job,” Childress commented about Kostecki’s Indianapolis run. “He didn’t get more than a couple of laps practice and he did good for no more practice than he had.
Such a move would see Kostecki follow in the footsteps of current Supercars title rival van Gisbergen, who will relocate to the US next month. Van Gisbergen, contracted to Trackhouse Racing, will run an extensive development program that includes races from all three major NASCAR divisions; Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks.
Kostecki is also US-bound following the Adelaide 500, set to share an RCR entry in the World Racing League final at the Circuit of the Americas with the team’s Cup stars Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon.