3F Racing
3Friends Racing, doing business as 3F Racing, is a German stock car racing team that will debut in NASCAR and ARCA starting in 2023. They field the No. 30 Chevrolet Camaro part time for Ryan Vargas in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. They plan to compete part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, fielding the No. 30 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 . They also hope to compete part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, fielding an entry for Christopher Tate. The team was founded by German entrepreneurs, Dennis Hirtz and Paul Wiedeler. 3F Racing will also have a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing and have their shop on RCR's campus in Welcome, North Carolina.[1]
 | |
| Owner(s) | Dennis Hirtz Paul Wiedeler |
|---|---|
| Base | Welcome, North Carolina |
| Series | NASCAR Cup Series NASCAR Whelen Euro Series ARCA Menards Series |
| Race drivers | Cup Series: 30. TBA. Ryan Vargas (reserve) Euro Series: 30. Ryan Vargas ARCA Menards Series: TBA. Christopher Tate (part-time) |
| Sponsors | Cup Series: 30. TBA Euro Series: 30. Critical Path Security ARCA Menards Series: TBA. TBA |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet, Toyota |
| Opened | 2022 |
| Career | |
| Races competed | Total: 0 Cup Series: 0 Truck Series: 0 ARCA Menards Series: 0 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series: 4 |
| Drivers' Championships | Total: 0 Cup Series: 0 Truck Series: 0 ARCA Menards Series: 0 |
| Race victories | Total: 0 Cup Series: 0 Truck Series: 0 ARCA Menards Series: 0 |
| Pole positions | Total: 0 Cup Series: 0 Truck Series: 0 ARCA Menards Series: 0 |
History
Car No. 30 history
The team had announced their plans on July 18, 2022, but was not widely known about until August 3, 2022 when a NASCAR Reddit user discovered the team.[2] The team's initial plans were to run the final five races of the 2022 season, starting with the Bank of America Roval 400. Hirtz stated that "Our driver for the Roval will be a two time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner with a strong European background, and for the remaining races we will field a very experienced and well known US American NASCAR driver."[3] The team did not announce their drivers and sponsors for 2022 in their initial announcement. Many fans speculated that Justin Allgaier would be the driver for the oval tracks as he was a follower of the team on social media when they were first discovered. Fans also speculated that Earl Bamber would be the driver for the Roval since he has extensive sports car racing experience in Europe, including two 24 Hours of Le Mans wins (matching Hirtz's description), and he has made a NASCAR start previously (the 2020 Xfinity Series race at the Daytona Road Course).[4]
On October 6, Hirtz told TobyChristie.com that the team would be delaying their debut until 2023. He stated that the team plans to run ten Cup Series races in 2023 with hopes to run full-time in 2024.[1]
On July 18, 2023, it was announced that Ryan Vargas would be signed as the teams director of team and driver development, as well as being the reserve driver for the No. 30.[5]
NASCAR Truck Series
On August 4, 2022, late model driver Christopher Tate announced on Twitter that he would hopefully make his NASCAR Truck Series debut for the team, but the deal didnβt materialize.[4][6]
ARCA Menards Series
The team originally committed to run the ARCA Menards Series in 2022, but failed to field an entry.[4][6]
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
On September 12, 2023, the team announced it would be fielding the No. 30 for Vargas at the GP Germany on September 23 and 24, 2023. The team finished 10th in both races.
The team followed up a few weeks later at an appearance at the GP Belgium finishing 15th and 11th in both races. The team finished 27th overall in the points standings.[7]
References
- Srigley, Joseph (October 6, 2022). "3Friends Racing Delaying NASCAR Cup Series Debut to Next Year, Planning 10-Race Schedule". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- "(Reddit post)". Reddit. SonicTheHyper. 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
- Miller, Ethan (2022-08-04). "Possible New Cup Series Team, 3F Racing, Eyes Roval Debut". Speedway Digest. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
- Konenski, Austin (2022-08-05). "New NASCAR Cup Series team ready for debut later in 2022". Sportsnaut. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
- "Ryan Vargas joins 3F Racing". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- Tate, Christopher (2022-08-04). "(Twitter post)". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
Beyond excited for this opportunity to team up with Dennis, Paul, and everyone over @3fRacing to pursue my πΌπ§ππ πππ§πππ¨ debut and hopefully the ππ§πͺππ π¨ππ§πππ¨ not long after. Cup details however, are coming together rapidly. So, stay tuned. #NASCAR
- Staff (October 15, 2023). "Euro Nascar Standings". Euro Nascar.