Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen to race in NASCAR | GRR
Two Formula 1 World Champions, Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button, will face off in tin tops for the first time as they race in the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Circuit of the Americas.
For Räikkönen it will be his second outing in the top-level of NASCAR, having raced at Watkins Glen in 2022, but 2009 F1 champion Button will make his stock car racing debut at COTA.
Button has signed on to a three-race campaign with Rick-Ware Racing in a Ford Mustang, alongside his commitment to racing a one-off hybrid NASCAR Chevrolet Camaro with Hendrick Racing at Le Mans.
Button will return to the Mustang for the first ever NASCAR Chicago street course race in July, before his final planned race of the season comes at the Indianapolis road course in August.
Kimi and Jenson’s race at COTA is just a matter of weeks away, as the NASCAR circus swings into Texas for a race on 26th March, and comes after a concerted effort from the organisation to get more international stars into its field.
Räikkönen’s first appearance at Watkins Glen saw him running as high as eighth last season, before a clash late on after a restart saw his Project 91 Trackhouse car sent into the wall on the exit of the bus stop, injuring the Finn’s wrist.
It will not be the first time the two F1 legends have raced at COTA. Button raced there five times from 2012 onwards with a best finish of fifth, while Räikkönen’s final grand prix victory came at the Austin track when he defeated Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton to win the US Grand Prix in 2018.
The 2007 F1 champion’s race in 2022 was not his first NASCAR appearance. The Finn took part in Xfinity and Truck Series races back in 2011, during his F1 sabbatical.
Speaking of his US stock car racing debut Button said: "Stepping away from F1 gave me the opportunity to try different series that excited me. I raced Super GT in Japan. I raced at Le Mans. I raced off-road because it was another skill to learn.
"You put yourself in a slightly vulnerable position because it’s not your complete skill set, and there’s still more to learn to be as good as the best.
"I love that challenge of driving new things. It’s slightly out of my comfort zone, and I found that out with off-road trucks.
“Obviously, racing a Cup car is very different than what I’m used to. It’s a lot heavier with a lot less power and, basically, no downforce.
"It’s got a sequential gearbox where you need to blip the throttle, so there’s lots of stuff to learn in a very short space of time.
“But I just get excited about that new challenge, and when I throw myself into something, I am 100% in. I’m not just doing it for fun in some one-off.
“I want to be competitive, and I know that to be competitive, it’s going to take a bit of time. That’s why doing these three races works very well this season.”
“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.”
Photography courtesy of Motorsport images.