UPDATE (May 28th):
On Tuesday, Richard Childress Racing (RCR) confirmed that Will Brown will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Sonoma Raceway, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro.
“It’s just an incredible opportunity to be able to come out and race at the highest level in America,” said Brown. “I am extremely thankful to Richard Childress and everyone at Richard Childress Racing for the opportunity. I’ve been interested in NASCAR since I started racing Supercars, and even more so since the recent wave of success that some international drivers have had crossing over into the NASCAR Cup Series.”
MobileX, the world’s most customizable mobile carrier, delivering the ultimate in choice and price control, will serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro.
“We are thrilled to be back in NASCAR, this time alongside our partner Motorola, in sponsoring international champion Will Brown in his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race,” said MobileX founder and CEO Peter Adderton. “It’s going to be an epic event with the Richard Childress Racing MobileX race team especially as we celebrate the launch of the MobileX moto g play in Walmart! MobileX’s AI-powered mobile service and Motorola come together to empower users with the ultimate freedom of choice when it comes to their mobile experience, saving them hundreds if not thousands of dollars annually. MobileX is about putting the consumer in the driver’s seat of their wireless journey, and no one knows how to bring that passion onto the track better than Will.”
Motorola will also serve as a backer of Brown’s debut in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“From the first cellular handheld to the first 5G-enabled mobile device to the first foldable smartphone, Motorola has always been about groundbreaking firsts. There’s no better way to drive that sentiment forward than to partner with MobileX and Will Brown on a first of his own,” said Rudi Kalil, president and general manager of North America at Motorola. “We look forward to connecting our brand with NASCAR fans as we support this incredibly talented racer on his career milestone and can’t wait to see Will’s car on the track at Sonoma Raceway.”
Finally, Shaw and Partners, one of Australia’s preeminent investment advice and wealth management firms, and a long-time supporter of Brown, will also join the effort.
“I’ve got some great sponsors that have supported me for a long time in Australia, and I’m lucky enough that MobileX is joining us for the race, along with a long-term partner of mine, Shaw and Partners,” Brown added. “Incredibly thankful also for Motorola and everyone else who has come on board for the race. It’s been massive to get everyone to support the program, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. I’m looking forward to the race and have been working hard to prepare.”
This move continues a trend of Richard Childress Racing looking to put together a diverse lineup of drivers to pilot its third NASCAR Cup Series entry, ranging from Xfinity regular Austin Hill, to a pair of Supercars drivers Brodie Kostecki, and now Will Brown.
“Will Brown has had success racing in Australia and New Zealand and we’re looking forward to having him race with RCR in the No. 33 MobileX Chevrolet,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “I’ve stayed in touch with Will since he came over in December to race with us, and he has proven to be a disciplined and passionate racer. His start with RCR is a continuation of a long-standing investment that RCR has made in finding and honing talent and looking beyond U.S. Motorsports.”
Original Story (May 15th):
Will Brown, an eight-time race winner in the Australian Repco Supercars Championship Series, will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Richard Childress Racing in the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on June 9.
The 25-year-old driver made the initial announcement in the form of a social media post on Wednesday evening. In the post, Brown states, “Absolutely incredible opportunity to be able to head stateside and race at the highest level in America with @RCRracing!! Can’t wait to get to Sonoma and have been working hard to prep, but first we’ve got Supercars in Perth this weekend!”
Absolutely incredible opportunity to be able to head stateside and race at the highest level in America with @RCRracing!! ??? Can't wait to get to Sonoma and have been working hard to prep, but first we've got Supercars in Perth this weekend! pic.twitter.com/rWfzuIV8d8
— Will Brown (@will_brown87) May 15, 2024
Per a story on Motorsport, the racer will pilot the No. 33 “open” entry for RCR in the event with primary sponsorship from MobileX and Motorola.
In addition to his incredible resume in the Repco Supercars Championship, Brown has also recorded a championship in the Australian Formula 4 Series and in the Australian Toyota Racing Series.
The Australia-native will join Cam Waters, another driver from Supercars fame in the event as Waters will pilot the No. 60 RFK Racing #Stage60 entry in the race at Sonoma. Waters is an 11-time Supercars race-winning driver, who has also competed in two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events this season.
Richard Childress Racing fielded the No. 33 entry for Supercars racer Brodie Kostecki last season, and was expected to again this year with a partnership from Kostecki’s Supercars team Erebus Motorsport, but an odd situation unfolded this season, where Kostecki and Erebus parted ways for the opening two events of the 2024 season.
Kostecki would later rejoin Erebus on April 7, but it appears his 2024 hopes of running a NASCAR Cup Series event with RCR have not materialized.
