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Takuma Koga Making History In America, Will Race Xfinity Series At Dover And Portland
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A native of Nagoya, Japan, 48-year-old Takuma Koga is now a veteran of NASCAR racing. Since 2001, when he made his debut in the NASCAR Raybestos Northwest Series, he has competed in various series. In 2002, he joined the NASCAR West Series (now the ARCA Menards West Series) and competed in 125 races until 2024, holding the all-time record for West Series races by a non-American driver. He earned 28 top-10 finishes and four top-5 finishes. The first was at the Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino, CA, and all the others at the Portland, OR road track.
This year, he has moved to the ARCA Menards East Series and is gaining momentum with the Fast Track Racing team led by Andy Hillenburg. He recently achieved his best career result there, finishing third at Flat Rock Speedway in Flat Rock, MI. This oval, like the Orange Show, is a 0.250-mile bullring. “I love short tracks” Koga said. He performs well there and aims to finish in the top three in the championship. He is currently in fifth place. But this third-place finish is the best result ever achieved by a Japanese driver in a NASCAR series above the Super Late Model level.