Alon Day will make history Saturday in his XFINITY Series debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, becoming the first driver from Israel to make a start in a national series event. The 24-year-old, a 2016 NASCAR Next member, will drive the No. 40 Dodge for MBM Motorsports and is also scheduled to compete at Road America on August 27.
“I am really excited about this debut and I want to thank all the sponsors supporting me and everybody who worked so hard to give me this opportunity to race at such a high level and make this dream come true,” Day said. “There is a lot to learn and I am confident that debuting on a road course will give me a good chance to learn quickly and get a positive result under the checkered flag.”
Day is currently in his second season as a competitor in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. In 2015 he won the Rookie of the Year award with three wins, two poles and five top-fives catapulting him to a runner-up finish in the championship standings. This year he has two wins and four top-five finishes in eight starts. He also became the first driver from outside North America to be selected as a member of the 2016 NASCAR Next program which highlights and promotes the sport’s most talented rising stars.
He’s excited and appreciative of this opportunity, saying, “I have never been to Mid-Ohio and I know it is a really challenging track, but I am working very hard to be at my best come August and racing in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will be of great help. Everything will be new and with the team, we will do our best to get the most of the race. It will be longer than usual for me, so I am training hard to be in the best shape and I am working on the simulator to get to know the track.”
Day finished 23rd in the first practice and moved up to 16th in the final practice Friday. He will start 22nd in Saturday’s race which will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on the USA channel.
