Waters, a 12-time winner in Supercars, will make his Cup debut in Sunday’s race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, driving the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.
Waters has some NASCAR experience already, having competed in a pair of NASCAR Truck races this season at Martinsville and Kansas with ThorSport Racing.
The Cup race is a big step up, but it will also come on a road course, where his previous NASCAR starts this year have come on ovals. Waters, 29, should at least have a slightly better comfort level.
“For me, it’s a bit of a bucket list (item), to be honest,” Water said this week at NASCAR’s Production Facility in Concord, N.C. “I get to come over and do a Cup race – it’s pretty awesome.
“To be able to do it, you know, on a road course and in a car that kind of makes a little bit more sense to me is going to be pretty special as well. I think I’ve got no idea how it’s to go, but I just want to enjoy the week.
“The other part was to be able to come over here and do a few oval races. That was kind of the Truck side, and I absolutely had a ball. It appeals just to kind of step out my comfort zone and do a few more races on the side and complement my racing back home.”
Waters will have some familiar company in Sunday’s race.
Current Supercars series leader Will Brown will also be making his Cup debut at Sonoma with Richard Childress Racing.
Also, three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen – who now competes full-time in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series – will serve as one of Brown’s spotters in Sunday’s Cup race.
Last July, van Gisbergen became the first driver in more than 60 years to win a Cup race in his debut when he took victory in the inaugural Chicago Street Race driving for Trackhouse Racing.
“To come over here to do a road course and to drive a car, that makes a lot more sense to me. That’s a lot closer to what a race back home is,” Waters said. “You know, it’s a bonus, to be honest.
“But at the same time, stepping up into Cup, the level of competition is going to be way harder as well.”
Similarities between Cup cars and Supercars
Earlier this week, Waters spent some time watching his RFK Racing team-mate Chris Buescher in a simulator hoping to pick up how the current Cup drivers navigate their cars.
Because of Sonoma’s recent repave, Waters will also get a 50-minute practice session on track on Friday, compared to the usual 20 minutes during most Cup weekends.
“The Cup car seems a lot closer to what we race back home, probably closer to our old car, the Gen 2 car than the Gen 3 car but a lot closer to what I raced than the truck,” Waters said.
“To come over here and not get any testing and whatnot is hard and something that we get a lot of back home, you know practice and testing. That’s a bit of a challenge.”
