Nexen Tire Americas, Inc. announced the kickoff of its 2023 United States Nexen Tire Motorsports program.
In addition to partnering with some of last year’s Nexen Tire Motorsports drivers in Formula DRIFT, Nexen has added several new drivers this year. Nexen has once again supplied its extreme ultra high-performance, mud-terrain and all-terrain tires to championship-winning and podium-finishing drivers.
Nexen Tire Motorsports has entered the 2023 racing season with several podium finishes in King of the Hammers.
Formula DRIFT kicks off its 2023 season with the "Streets of Long Beach" PRO Championship event in Long Beach, Calif., on April 7-8. Nexen Tire Motorsports drivers will compete using the company’s latest extreme ultra high-performance tire, N’Fera Sport R.
2023 Nexen Tire Motorsports Formula DRIFT PRO drivers include Ken Gushi, Toyota GR86; Federico Sceriffo, Ferrari 599; and Trent Beechum, BMW.
Nexen Tire Motorsports kicked off the new year with the King of the Hammers where a handful of drivers earned top-ten and top-five placements. Drivers competed using the company’s off-road tire choices, including Roadian MTX Xtreme Off-Road tires as well as the company's latest all-terrain tire, Roadian ATX.
Nexen Tire Motorsports off-road drivers include Woody Rose, Trent Fabrication; Chris VanDenElzen, VDE Racing; Ross Glave, Flexpoint Off-Road; Joshua Bacsi, Team Havoc Racing; Sheldon Haynes, True North Racing; Alex McNeil, Truth North Racing; Buddy Carlton, Carlton Custom Motorsports; Rob Inglis, TMR Customs; Ryan Mottinger, Motts Motorsports; and Taylor Dawson, Dawson Off-Road.
This year, Nexen Tire Motorsports has added a new racing endeavor to its motorsports program – the GRIDLIFE Touring Cup, a competitive grassroots racing series.
Austin Hertel is one of Nexen Tire Motorsports’ latest driver additions and competed in the season kickoff at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where he placed fifth overall. He drove a modified Nissan 370Z sponsored by True Performance Motorsport on N’Fera Sport R extreme ultra high-performance tires.
Competing in the Tire Rack CAM S Challenge Series, Mike Manikas of SAF Motorsports is a new Nexen Tire Motorsports' driver competing in autocross and time attack events. Manikas pilots a modified sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette, known throughout the series as an SCCA Solo CAM car, and is set to compete throughout the midwest this season.
“We’re excited to once again commence our annual racing program across several different styles of competition,” says Jason Yard, marketing director for Nexen Tire America, Inc.
“For 2023, we’ve partnered with several new- and very-talented drivers, and our returning drivers are some of the most well-known names in Formula DRIFT, Ultra4 Racing and AMSOIL Championship Off-Road. We are very confident in our roster of drivers this year, and we know they will test the capabilities of our street-legal tires. We look forward to seeing their success.”
