MOORESVILLE, NC, February 15, 2024 – NASCAR driver Akinori Ogata today announced his preliminary schedule for the 2024 race season. Ogata, who moved from his native Japan to Mooresville, NC in 2010 to pursue his racing dreams, will compete in at least four Xfinity Series races with Joey Gase Motorsports.
Ogata will race at Martinsville Speedway on April 6, Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, Daytona International Speedway on August 23 and Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 19. Marketing partners Kyowa-Eidemiller Precision Machining and YKK AP America will continue their relationship with Ogata through 2024.
“I am excited to compete in all of my races, but YKK AP America and Joey Gase gave me an opportunity to race at Daytona in August,” said Ogata. “Daytona is one of my dream tracks.”
Kyowa-Eidemiller Precision Machining (KEPM) is a global supplier of quality precision machined parts. Their diverse equipment capabilities and experienced staff enable them to be your first choice for small to mid-sized machined components competitively priced.
KEPM handles proto-type, low and high volume production projects, and the company is committed to providing “Emergency Capacity”. KEPM is ISO 9001:2015 certified and features integrated manufacturing to produce high precision machined products including specialty and exotic materials.
YKK AP America Inc. is a leading manufacturer of award-winning commercial facade systems and residential windows and doors. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, all building products are manufactured in the company’s world-class production facilities located in Dublin, Ga., Macon, Ga., and Lakeshore, Ontario. Together with its subsidiary brand, Erie Architectural Products (Erie AP), the company serves architects, glazing contractors, homebuilders, and resellers across the country. YKK AP America Inc. is a subsidiary of YKK AP Inc., a global architectural products company based in Tokyo, Japan.
Ogata’s racing career started in motocross in Japan when he was 14 years old. He made his first NASCAR series start in 2003 at Hickory Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock. He earned his first win in the series at Hickory in 2022 and is the only Japanese driver to win a race in NASCAR. Ogata made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in 2014 at Phoenix Raceway, where he also made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2018.
“I really enjoyed and had good experience in races with the superspeedway program at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2023 in the Xfinity and Truck Series,” said Ogata. “I can’t wait for my coming race season!”
Ogata is working to add more races to his 2024 race season. Contact his team at akinoriperformance@gmail.com for information on partnership.
For more information on Akinori Ogata, visit his website (https://www.akinoriogata.com/index.html) or follow him on X (@AkinoriOgata) or Instagram (@akinoriogata).
