The 2026 season, which starts this weekend (from April 10 to 12), marks Allam Khodair’s debut in NASCAR Brasil, opening a new chapter after more than three decades in motorsport. At 43 years old, the driver has more than 620 races around the world and is the fourth Brazilian with the highest number of starts in history.
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Known as the “Flying Japanese”, Khodair built a career with important titles, such as the two-time São Paulo kart championship, in addition to achievements in Formula Renault, the South American GT Championship and the European GT Open. Over the years, he has also accumulated experience with manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW, Audi, Mercedes and McLaren.
The debut will be at the Autódromo de Santa Cruz do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul, a circuit where he has already won. “Santa Cruz is a track that I have always liked a lot. There would be no better place to start. It is a very technical, fast track and I think it is very cool to make my debut in a car that I have never driven, against ‘sharks’ who have been in the sport for some time. I’m going to have to find a shortcut,” he adds.
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Regarding the new phase, the driver highlights the growth of the category. “My impression of NASCAR Brasil is a category that has been standing out a lot in Brazil, in terms of cost-benefit, professionalism, team capacity, managers and drivers. So it is a category that is in the focus of every professional driver and also of those who seek to live more and more from the sport. It is managed by a great friend of mine from the beginning of my career, Thiago Marques, and by Carlos Col,” he concludes.
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