| Akinori Ogata | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Ogata atMartinsville Speedway in 2024 | |||||||
| Born | (1973-08-14)14 August 1973 (age 52) Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan | ||||||
| Achievements | First Japanese driver to win atHickory Motor Speedway | ||||||
| NASCARO'Reilly Auto Parts Series career | |||||||
| 10 races run over 5 years | |||||||
| 2024 position | 107th | ||||||
| Best finish | 79th (2018) | ||||||
| First race | 2018Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024Ambetter Health 302 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
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| NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 17 races run over 11 years | |||||||
| 2025 position | 66th | ||||||
| Best finish | 48th (2015) | ||||||
| First race | 2014Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| Last race | 2025Rackley Roofing 200 (Nashville) | ||||||
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| ARCA Menards Series East career | |||||||
| 12 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 26th (2013) | ||||||
| First race | 2012 Slack Auto Parts 150 (Jefferson) | ||||||
| Last race | 2014Autolite Iridium XP 150 (Iowa) | ||||||
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| Statistics up to date as of 1 November 2025. | |||||||
Akinori Ogata (尾形 明紀,Ogata Akinori; born 14 August 1973) is a Japanese professionalstock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in theNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 63Toyota Tundra TRD Pro forAkinori Performance. He has also competed in theNASCAR Xfinity Series andNASCAR K&N Pro Series East in the past.
Ogata started motocross racing in Japan in 1987,[1] winning thirty feature races. He eventually switched todirt track racing, racingquarter midgets, and won atTwin Ring Motegi.[2] In 2003, Ogata started racing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock, and has participated in races at Concord Motorsports Park. In 2009, Ogata signed a deal withENEOS to sponsor hisWhelen All-American Series ride, the company's firstNASCAR sponsorship.[3]
Ogata made hisK&N Pro Series East debut in 2012 in Jennifer McDonald's No. 49Dodge atGresham Motorsports Park, finishing fifteenth. He competed in three more events with McDonald during the year, this time in aToyota, crashing in two of them. In 2013, Ogata ran with Sherry Kuykendall's No. 44 and Ronald Faison's No. 39, three of which were with the former,[4] and failed to qualify in the No. 44 atDover International Speedway. The following year, Ogata competed as anowner/driver in the No. 56 Toyota withDale Quarterley as crew chief,[5] qualifying in three of five races,[6] but only finished the race atIowa Speedway.[4]
On 5 November 2014,Win-Tron Racing announced Ogata would make hisCamping World Truck Series debut with the team in the No. 35 Toyota, racing in theLucas Oil 150 atPhoenix International Raceway;[1] this also marked his first career race at Phoenix.[7] After qualifying 28th with a lap time of 28.388 seconds and a speed of 126.814 miles per hour (204.087 km/h),[8] Ogata finished 29th after his rear gear broke on lap 45.[9] Partnering withMB Motorsports for 2015, Ogata ran three races, scoring his first top twenty finish (18th).[10] His only race in 2016 was with MB, but after a crash withJosh Wise early in theUNOH 175, Ogata finished 31st.[11]
Ogata returned to the Truck Series in July 2020, driving the No. 33 Toyota forReaume Brothers Racing atTexas Motor Speedway.[12] He remained with the team for the 2021 season.[13] At Darlington, he was involved in a very serious crash withTimmy Hill andTanner Gray. He returned in 2022 to drive the No. 43 forReaume Brothers Racing at Darlington.[citation needed]
On 31 October 2018, Ogata announced hisNASCAR Xfinity Series debut, which would come nearly two weeks later in theWhelen Trusted to Perform 200 atISM Raceway, driving the No. 66Toyota Camry forMBM Motorsports.[14]
In 2021, Ogata would make one start in both the No. 52 forJimmy Means Racing and the No. 78 forB. J. McLeod Motorsports. In 2022, he would return to MBM to drive their No. 13 car in the races atNew Hampshire andTexas in September.[15]
On 21 December 2016, a thief broke into Ogata's garage, stealing his pickup truck as well as a Legends car for Ogata's son, Ryo. The value of the items taken was around US $80,000.[16]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
| NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | NKNPSEC | Pts | Ref |
| 2012 | MacDonald Motorsports | 49 | Dodge | BRI | GRE | RCH | IOW | BGS | JFC 15 | 34th | 84 | [33] | ||||||||||
| Toyota | LGY 20 | CNB | COL | IOW 21 | NHA 36 | DOV | GRE | CAR | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Sherry Kuykendall | 44 | Toyota | BRI | GRE | FIF | RCH | BGS 21 | IOW 22 | VIR | GRE | NHA 16 | DOV DNQ | RAL 21 | 26th | 128 | [34] | |||||
| Ronald Faison | 39 | Toyota | IOW 20 | LGY | COL | |||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Akinori Performance | 56 | Toyota | NSM | DAY | BRI DNQ | GRE | RCH 31 | IOW | BGS | FIF 20 | LGY | NHA DNQ | COL | IOW 22 | GLN | VIR | GRE | DOV | 40th | 65 | [35] |