Yahoo Autos NASCAR Truck Series Driver Kimi Raikkonen Gets Promotion to Cup Series
Recently-retired Formula 1 driver Kimi Raikkonen is returning to racing in August. He'll be trying his hands (again) at NASCAR, specifically the Cup race happening at Watkins Glen on the 21st. The Iceman is back.
Raikkonen will be piloting a third entry—the No. 91 Chevrolet—for Trackhouse Racing, joining full-time drivers Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. The 2007 world champion's seat was created as a part of Trackhouse's Project 91 program, designed to expand the sport's international reach by fielding drivers not normally associated with NASCAR.
“We had talks about it, how would it work, where the race would be, and all sorts of other things,” Raikkonen said of the single-race deal, per Motorsport.com. “There’s a lot of things involved, and it all made sense for me.
"It’s one race, so it made sense for all of us as a family. I always enjoyed it when I had my few races [in the United States]," Raikkonen added. "Hopefully we have a good race and good fun. Obviously it’s a new car and I’ve never been at the track. But I’m sure we can figure it out.”
This isn't the first time Raikkonen has raced outside of Formula 1 in the United States. He made one-off appearances in the Camping World Truck Series and the Nationwide Series—now known as the Xfinity Series—in 2011 during his sabbatical away from F1. While he's never raced in a NASCAR-style car on a road course, he's spent time testing in a Dodge for Robby Gordon's team at Virginia International Raceway in 2011.
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