A fledgling NASCAR Cup Series team from Germany, 3F Racing’s owners received their visas back in May. But ever since, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the team to make its debut in 2023.
In July, Ryan Vargas was signed to be the director of team development for the organization. Vargas, a part-time NASCAR competitor in the states, then made four starts in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series with the team, with a best finish of 10th twice.
3F was planning to make its debut this season at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in October, then Homestead-Miami Speedway. However, sponsorship for both events fell through.
“We worked hard getting some races in this year,” co-owner Dennis Hirtz told Frontstretch. “We came incredibly close, but we had some deadlines to beat and unfortunately, the potential sponsor confirmed a few days too late. Otherwise, we would have raced.”
The team is still looking to be on track in Cup during the 2024 season.
“Now, all eyes are 2024 and the goal is the same working close with [Richard Childress Racing] and Chevy,” Hirtz said.
3F is aiming to run eight to 10 races next season, Hirtz confirmed. Funding, however, is still the biggest hurdle for the team to get into the sport.
“We rely on the sponsorship,” Hirtz said. “So we need strong partners on board.”
Nothing is set in stone in terms of specific races yet, but 3F has its eye on multiple tracks.
“Atlanta [Motor Speedway], for example, is pretty interesting because a lot of our German partners are based in the Atlanta area,” Hirtz said. “But also right now, we are talking to potential partners at the West Coast so that could bring [races like] Sonoma [Raceway] or [Las] Vegas [Motor Speedway].”
About the author
Jared Haas joined the Frontstretch staff in May 2020. During his time at Frontstretch, Jared has grown the Frontstretch YouTube channel from less than 200 subscribers to well over 23,000 subscribers.
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Isn’t funding always the “issue”?