Will Brown, the Australian Supercars champion, has revealed the challenging aspect that is holding back his aspirations to race on NASCAR ovals despite his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024. Brown made his first Cup Series start with Richard Childress Racing at Sonoma Raceway, where electrical issues hampered his qualifying efforts and race performance, resulting in a 31st-place finish. This year, he has switched to Kaulig Racing and is set to compete at the Chicago Street Course in July 2025, aiming to improve his stock car racing credentials.

Brown highlighted that the toughest obstacle in pursuing his NASCAR oval dreams is securing sponsorship and support. He explained that while he hopes a strong performance on the Chicago street course could attract sponsors, it is very difficult to get backing to run an oval race immediately, especially since the first oval race would likely be a struggle. This lack of sponsorship support is the main barrier preventing him from transitioning quickly to oval racing in NASCAR.

The 26-year-old, who is the defending Supercars Series champion with 11 career wins and a third-place finish in the Bathurst 1000 last year, expressed excitement about his upcoming race with Kaulig Racing at the Grant Park 165 in Chicago. He credited seeing fellow New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen compete in the 2023 Chicago Street Race as inspiration for his NASCAR ambitions. Kaulig Racing team owner Matt Kaulig also expressed enthusiasm about having Brown on the team, emphasizing Brown’s talent and the opportunity to compete for a prestigious event win.

The Grant Park 165, a 75-lap, 165-mile race, is scheduled for July 6, 2025, and will be broadcast on TNT Sports, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90, and MAX.

In summary, Will Brown’s main challenge in advancing his NASCAR oval career is the difficulty in securing sponsorship support, which is crucial for gaining opportunities to race on ovals. His focus is currently on performing well on road courses like Chicago to attract the necessary backing to expand his NASCAR presence.