Mike “Rocky” Rockenfeller, a German road racer and previous 24 Hours of Le Mans champion, will make his NASCAR Cup Series start at Watkins Glen the following weekend.
Rockenfeller will race the squad’s No. 77 Chevrolet in both the Cup race on August 21 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and the race on October 9 at Charlotte Roval, Spire Motorsports said on Tuesday.
Two other European competitors will compete in the race at The Glen next week, including 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and former F1 racer Daniil Kvyat.
Rockenfeller, 38, has had a remarkable racing career lasting over 20 years. He won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2010 with Audi and collaborated in the Rolex 24 at Daytona with seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
“Since starting my professional racing career back in the early 2000s, I’ve always kept a close eye on NASCAR,” said Rockenfeller. “What’s more, after teaming up with Jimmie Johnson [in the Action Express Racing Cadillac] – one of the heroes of the sport – my respect and appreciation for NASCAR has grown.
“It’s an immensely competitive series with some of the world’s greatest drivers racing wheel-to-wheel, merely centimeters apart. Room for error is minimal, at best. Watkins Glen is a difficult track in any car but given how sensitive and big a NASCAR Cup Series car is, I think this will be an even bigger challenge.”
As a Porsche Junior participant at the 2004 24 Hours of Daytona, former DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) winner Rockenfeller placed third overall. In the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona, he won his first American race in the Daytona Prototype (DP) Class.
In IMSA Sportscar Championship competition from 2015 to 2019, Rockenfeller consistently finished in the top three for Chevrolet at the Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring, demonstrating his adaptability. At Sebring in 2017, he rode a C7.R to triumph in the GTLM class for Corvette Racing.
Rockenfeller has not yet completed laps at the Charlotte Roval, but at Watkins Glen, he has achieved success by finishing third overall in the Sahlen’s Six Hours at the Glen in 2006 and sixth in 2022 while driving for Ally/Action Express Racing and sharing the car with Johnson and Japanese motorist Kamui Kobayashi (above).
“I’ve been fortunate to race LMP prototypes, DTM, and GTs, but now I’m ready to get my name out there in NASCAR,” he said. “This is a huge honor for me to be racing the No. 77 NationsGuard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and I want to say thank you to Spire Motorsports for giving me this opportunity to start a new chapter in my career.”
Bill Anthony, team president, continued, “Mike is a talented, globally-accomplished driver and we’re thrilled to introduce him to NASCAR. We’ve invested in getting Mike up to speed quickly through the Driver Familiarization Test and our partners at Chevrolet have generously offered simulation time for him.
“Everyone at Spire Motorsports is motivated and committed to providing Mike with a great effort for Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Roval.”
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