As recently as August 2022, 'Leftturnsonly.de' had spoken with 3F Racing owner Dennis Hirtz about the German racing team's potential entry into the NASCAR Cup Series. The goal at the time was to debut during the second half of the season.

While that didn't happen, nor will it in 2023, Marketing Director Paul Wiedeler has now spoken about the latest progress and clarified why German NASCAR fans can look forward to 2024. Also, it was made clear which drivers are currently being talked to and what the team's relationship with Richard Childress Racing is.

When EuroNASCAR visited the German circuit of Oschersleben (Sept. 23-24) in September, 3F Racing saw the light of the NASCAR world for the first time. On that same weekend, Wiedeler talked to 'Leftturnsonly.de' and stated that they would like to participate in the 4EVER 400 presented by Mobil 1 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

As of the latest information, unfortunately, the debut falls through. "Yes, it's true, we still have to be patient with our debut. After the Oschersleben weekend, the green light from our sponsor unfortunately came a little too late to get everything ready in time."

But even though this marks a setback in the plan, Wiedeler emphasizes 3F Racing's loyalty towards the unnamed sponsor. One thing is clear: "We would like to enter the 2024 season with the sponsor, even if we can't say for sure whether it will be the Daytona 500 or the first Atlanta race a week later."

Both the Daytona 500 and the first Atlanta race (Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, respectively) offer their own special appeal. After all, the Daytona 500 is considered the biggest and most important NASCAR race, and Atlanta would be of great value because of the German-American Chamber of Commerce (AHK).

Of course, the question immediately arises as to how many races are to be contested at all. What is certain is that 3F Racing is aiming for "at least five races" in 2024, with an eye on more. "The goal is ten races. Unless a sponsor can be found who wants to finance a whole season. Then we would start full-time," Wiedeler declares.

However, to be able to manage the project at all, regardless of the exact number of races, 3F Racing will initially rely on RCR's personnel pool (crew chief, pit crew, mechanics, and crew manager).

"That helps Dennis and I tremendously because we're not only taking care of the driver search, but we're also managing the team and working hard on the marketing side as well", explains Wiedeler, who states: "We want to position ourselves as an independent team with support from Richard Childress Racing."

However, one personnel matter has already been determined. Doug Reece, who was born and raised in Mooresville, will join the team as a "technical advisor." As of now, it is unclear, given that he resides in Germany, whether Reece will handle the Cup or the planned EuroNASCAR venture.

Fans have questioned themselves which driver(s) will be driving the number 30 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. An accidental leak brought household names like Kaz Grala or Justin Allgaier to the daylight. However, rumours about a possible signing were denied by the team.

Asked how things actually look in terms of the driver line-up, and who may be a future prospect, Wiedeler replied, "3F Racing has access to RCR's driver line-up. The choice of which driver we put in our cockpit depends on time availability."

However, it is clear that two drivers are already in the German racing team's lineup: Chris Tate and Ryan Vargas. With Tate, 3F Racing made its Late Model debut in Florence, South Carolina, as they are working in the background on a future Late Model program. Vargas, in addition to his role as director of team and driver development, is also set as a Cup replacement driver as well as a EuroNASCAR driver.