“Hold on”: the NASCAR advice given to Waters

The Tickford Supercars driver is set to make his debut in the NASCAR system in a ThorSport-run Ford F150 on the short oval for the Long John Silver 200.

The move is the first step in long-held plans to race in NASCAR for Waters, who already enjoys backing from the likes of Ford Performance and Monster Energy, which have deep ties to stock car racing in the US.

Ahead of his debut Waters has been seeking advice from those that know the NASCAR system, including former Supercars rival Shane van Gisbergen – now a NASCAR full-timer – and the ThorSport roster that includes Jake Garcia, Matt Craft, Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes.

And that advice has been to expect things to get wild.

“I heard it’s pretty aggressive over here. I’ve watched a fair few races, so I’ve kind of picked that up myself,” Waters said.

“I spoke to Shane about how he’s obviously tackled racing and races and the ThorSport drivers as well have given me a few tips with how Truck races go down.

“They say it gets pretty wild at times, so hold on. But the way I want to treat it is just finish, keep the truck clean, and learn as much as I can.”

Waters revealed that he has already met up with van Gisbergen since arriving in the States immediately after the Australian GP, while he is also in contact with Brodie Kostecki, another Supercars driver with NASCAR experience.

“I guess we’ve got a relationship going from years of racing against each other,” he said.

“We all kind of talk. I went and caught up with Shane the other day. We went and played some Top Golf together here in Concord.

“I talk to Brodie all the time. We’re always trying to help each other when we can, you know, when it’s not in the Supercars series.

“Obviously, it’s a little bit different now with Shane going and Brodie’s having a year off. As much as we’re competitors, we want to see each other do well.”

While it could get wild, Waters said that the idea of making this Truck Series cameo didn’t meet any resistance from Tickford Racing.

“I’ve been very lucky with my race team in Australia, Tickford Racing, that they’ve allowed me to look outside the square and do a bit more racing on the side.

“They see it as a complement to my racing in Australia. They let me race a 410 Sprintcar over the summer. So if I can do something that’s going to complement my racing, they’re all for it.”