Israeli native Alon Day will have groundbreaking start in Sonoma race

Amid the array of colorful corporate patches covering NASCAR driver Alon Day’s firesuit, one is particularly meaningful: The flag of Israel.

Day, 25, wears the blue and white Star of David emblem with the pride of his homeland.

In Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, Day will become the first driver from Israel to compete in NASCAR’s top series.

Born in Ashdod, outside Tel Aviv, Day feels the weight of this momentous journey.

“This weekend in Sonoma I’m making history for Israel,” he said in a telephone interview from his BK Racing team headquarters in North Carolina. “It’s a big thing. I’m pretty sure people in Israel are proud of me. I’

Describing the top-level race as a dream come true, Day is especially mindful of its significance because just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable.

When he was growing up, motorsports were illegal in Israel.

After a lengthy effort that started more than a decade ago, new laws were passed and the Knesset’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee approved regulations allowing certain types of auto racing.

The appetite for speed was undoubtedly there.

The Jewish state’s first Formula One road show, which took place in June 2011, attracted 100,000 spectators.

“In Israel there was not motorsports at all when I was grow up ... So I started in go karts, the only thing that was legal,” he said. “In terms of motorsports in Israel, we are kind of babies.”

In a country that still doesn’t have the infrastructure support for a true raceway, it’s a battle to find sponsors, even for an athlete who is now a champion in other countries.

Day was fortunate in that his family had resources to pursue Alon’s passion.

His father, Avi Day, who owns a geological engineering company, sent him to Europe to hone his driving skills. He graduated to true race cars at age 15 and raced in Britain, Holland and Germany.

The dream of competing professionally in Formula racing began to look real.

Day then traveled to China with the help of an Israeli businessman who offered to underwrite Day so he could try out for Formula Renault competitions.

“Every two months I’d go to China for two or three weeks,” Day told Haaretz Newspaper in Israel. “I’d train from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to get prepared for the official competition.”

A day of training in Europe costs 4,000 euros, Avi Day ?said, whereas in China it’s only $1,000.

“This doesn’t include flights, hotels and living expenses. After you reach a certain level, teams start chasing after you but this happens only when you reach ?the really highest levels, Formula 1,” he said. “Until then you need to cover the expenses yourself, and not everyone can afford it.”

In 2009, Day won the Asia Championship in the 14-race Formula Renault series, starting eight times from the pole, reaching the podium in 13 and winning 6 races.

He then returned to Europe to drive in the German Formula 3 championship before switching from single-seaters to GTs in the GT World Championship.

Two years ago, he moved from GT to the NASCAR circuit and competed in the Whelen Euro Series, where he finished second in 2015 and third last year. He is second in points currently.

Last year, Day competed in four NASCAR lower-level races in the United States, placing 13th at Mid-Ohio in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

He hopes his success as a road course driver will give him an advantage in Sonoma, one of only two road courses in the top-level cup series.

As NASCAR has become more diverse and globalized, Day’s success has resonated at home. He was named Athlete of the Year by Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sports, the first time a race car driver has been given the award.

“Being recognized in Israel was an amazing thing for me. People (have) started watching NASCAR and started broadcasting it, which is something Israel didn’t have before I started racing in NASCAR.

“People who follow sports already know my name and who I am, maybe a little about NASCAR.”

The U.S.-based stock car institution has begun paying attention to Day as well.

He was one of 11 drivers selected to the 2016-2017 NASCAR Next class, an initiative that recognizes young drivers from around the world with a track record of success who are moving up the NASCAR ladder.

And Day is attracting sponsors, too, a necessity in the expensive world of motorsports.

For North Carolina-based BK Racing, he will drive the No. 23 EarthWater Limited Toyota on Sunday.

“I like giving new drivers an opportunity, and Alon is a great road course driver,” said team owner Ron Devine. “He has been successful in other series around the world and deserves a shot in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.”

Day is also backed by Super Bakery and Silversport, companies owned by the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris.

“I had zero idea about American football,” Day admitted. “Being sponsored by a legend is an amazing thing. I’m so thankful for him and his companies. It’s special for me.”

Being from Israel has sparked a few questions for Day from the media about the current state of the Middle East, but he mostly stays out of politics.

Like all Israeli young men, he spent three years in the Israel Defense Forces after high school. But he was designated by the military an “outstanding sportsman,” which allowed him to continue driving and training.

“I can’t really talk about what I did in the military, but the army let me do what I want in terms of racing,” he said.

“I’d love if there was peace in the Middle East, but it this is something I can’t control. I get a good response from American people. They appreciate the fact that I served in the military, especially if they were in the military. The NASCAR community seems to be very patriotic.”

You can reach staff writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.