Oh... this should be fun.
Image Courtesy Trackhouse Racing
PROJECT91, an initiative of Trackhouse Entertainment Group meant to attract top drivers from around the world to compete in NASCAR, announced that Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen will compete at the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen on August 21 behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
So, what convinced the former F1 driver to enter? Justin Marks, founder and owner of Trackhouse, simply paid Raikkonen a visit:
“I wasn’t looking to race again, but Justin came to my home in Switzerland and convinced me how serious he was about putting together a top-notch program,” said Raikkonen. “This will be fun, but it’s something I will take very seriously. I know how competitive the NASCAR Cup Series is and it will be a big challenge.”
The upcoming Cup Series race isn’t Raikkonen’s first stint in NASCAR, however, as he previously competed in the Xfinity and Truck Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway back in May of 2011.
Although Raikkonen is the only PROJECT91 race planned for 2022, Marks plans to have more outings with more drivers in 2023.
Oh... this should be fun.
It's not his debut. He ran a few NASCAR races back when he took a break from F1 about 12-ish years ago.
Wonder if Kimi has Juan Pablo's phone number?
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:It's not his debut. He ran a few NASCAR races back when he took a break from F1 about 12-ish years ago.
It was in the truck series though, not cup.
I love the Ice Man but hope he spends less time in his roof than he did in Rally...
In reply to 84FSP :
EVERYONE in rally ends up on their roof. Just a matter of time.
I hope he takes time to scope out the access roads so he'll know what he's doing.
randyzimmer said:In reply to 84FSP :
EVERYONE in rally ends up on their roof. Just a matter of time.
I hope he takes time to scope out the access roads so he'll know what he's doing.
Like sprint cars its not if it's when you end up flipping and upside down. Besides Colin McRae made a famous career of those crashes.
He did a NASCAR Truck series (NASCAR's 3rd tier series) race at the Charlotte oval in 2011. He qualified 31st and finished 15th. He followed that up with a run in the 2nd tier Xfinity series (also at Charlotte). He qualified 22nd and finished 27th, four laps down. I assume he'll be more comfortable on the Watkins Glen road course than he was on the oval, but the Cup Series is a lot more competitive than the other NASCAR series he's driven. Nobody has any laps in the new car at Watkins Glen yet, so that should help level the playing field a bit. I predict he finishes 13th.
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