Kiwis racing overseas this weekend (March 8 to 11, 2024)

It’s all happening in North America this weekend, with six Kiwis taking on the Streets of St. Petersburg and Shane van Gisbergen returning to action in Round 4 of the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong and Tom Blomqvist begin their 2024 IndyCar seasons in Florida, while Callum Hedge debuts in Indy NXT at the same event. Liam Sceats also debuts in USF Pro 2000 on the street circuit.

A dozen Kiwis have made the trip across the Tasman for the Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport, with the majority of those to compete in a Trans-Tasman F5000 field of 21 cars.

See below for all the information you need, including times and how to follow.

Shane van Gisbergen – NASCAR Xfinity Series

• Where: Phoenix Raceway, Arizona
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Sunday 6.30 am
  • Qualifying: Sunday 7.00 am
  • Race: Sunday 10.30 am
• How to watch: ThreeNow (race only)

Shane van Gisbergen’s latest oval challenge is the one-mile, low-banked tri-oval Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.

The Kiwi enters the round in 16th place in the standings after last weekend’s DNF in Las Vegas when engine issues forced him to pit lane during the opening stage.

All of the weekend’s Xfinity Series action takes place on one day, with qualifying at 7:00 am and the race just three and a half hours later.

Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong & Tom Blomqvist – IndyCar

• Where: Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Saturday 8.45 am
  • Practice 2: Sunday 3.35 am
  • Qualifying: Sunday 8.00 am
  • Final Warmup: Monday 2.10 am
  • Race: Monday 5.00 am
• How to watch: Sky Sport 5

The 2024 IndyCar season is here, with four Kiwis running in the main game.

Last year’s championship runner-up Scott Dixon and Rookie of the Year Marcus Armstrong lineup for Chip Ganassi Racing, while Scott McLaughlin returns to Penske Motorsport and Tom Blomqvist begins his rookie season for Meyer Shank Racing.

Callum Hedge – Indy NXT

• Where: Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida
• NZ Times:
  • Practice 1: Saturday 7.35 am
  • Practice 2: Sunday 2.25 am
  • Qualifying: Sunday 7.05 am
  • Race: Monday 4.10 am
• How to watch: Paid live stream (indyCarlive.com)

Callum Hedge joins the strong Kiwi contingent in Florida for his Indy NXT debut with HMD Motorsport.

The Kiwi admits he’s on the back foot after a bout of appendicitis forced him to miss the majority of pre-season testing, but he’s on the mend.

Liam Sceats – USF Pro 2000

• Where: Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida
• NZ Times:
  • Practice: Saturday 2.45 am
  • Qualifying: Saturday 5.10 am
  • Race 1: Sunday 5.55 am
  • Race 2: Monday 2.00 am
• How to watch: Free live stream (YouTube)

New Zealand Grand Prix winner and Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship runner-up Liam Sceats is also making his North American debut on the Streets of St. Petersburg in USF Pro 2000, the third tier on the Road to Indy ladder.

The Kiwi is racing for TJ Speed Motorsport for the season.

Kiwi F5000 Contingent – Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport

• Where: Phillip Island, Australia
• NZ Times:
  • Qualifying: Friday 1.50 pm
  • Race 1: Friday 5.35 pm
  • Race 2: Saturday 12.40 pm
  • Race 3: Saturday 4.50 pm
  • Race 4: Sunday 2.15 pm
• How to follow: Live timing (Natsoft)

Ten Formula 5000 cars from the SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival series have travelled to Phillip Island for the Classic Festival of Motorsport.

The team join a grid of 11 Australian F5000 entries for a strong overall turnout of 21 entries.

The event also has Kiwi Wayne Colville competing in a Van Diemen RF88 Formula Ford and Scott O’Donnell in a 1995 Ford Mondeo Super Tourer.

For track times and a full competitor list, click here.