Kimi Raikkonen is teaming up with PROJECT91 to make another outing in the NASCAR Cup Series at the Circuit of the Americas later this month. It is his second outing in the stock car championship, after debuting with the team at Watkins Glen in August last year. Raikkonen qualified in 27th and made his way up to the top ten, before a crash late in the race ended his day. This time the Finn will race the #91 Chevrolet Camaro fielded by a Trackhouse crew led by Darian Grubb, who won the NASCAR cup series title with Tony Stewart in 2011. It will be the first time Raikkonen has raced at COTA since his last season racing in Formula 1 two years ago, with the track also being the scene of his last F1 victory in 2018 with Ferrari. “I had a fantastic time in NASCAR,” said Räikkönen. “There was a lot to learn in a very short amount of time, but everyone was very helpful, the competition was a big challenge. "This time I get to race on a track I am familiar with so there won’t be as steep of a learning curve. I want to have fun, but also do as well as we can."
Raikkonen hopes to get more Europeans into NASCAR
Raikkonen is clear about the challenges of NASCAR compared to other racing series, but believes his appearance in the popular stock car series will open up opportunities and help bring it to a European audience. “I’m sure there are a lot of drivers that would like to have a chance to try NASCAR,” said Räikkönen. “It’s not very easy, so maybe it will open some doors in the future for more chances to try and get more Europeans into the sport.”
Most read
