A few days ago Kimi Raikkonen announced he would return to NASCAR for another one-off race. He will return to Circuit of the Americas, the venue where he famously scored his last-ever F1 race win.
His last venture in the American car racing scene did not end well with him crashing from 25th place. But this time the Finn will be joined by a familiar face from his F1 days.
Announcement: @JensonButton, the 2009 @F1 Champion, will drive our No. 15 @FordPerformance Mustang in three road course events this year. They are @NASCARatCOTA @NASCARChicago and @IMS #rickwareracing #Formula1 #NASCAR75 #roadcourses pic.twitter.com/wB6sYvmEYQ
— Rick Ware Racing (@RickWareRacing) March 9, 2023
Along with him, the 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button will also feature in the race. The Briton is set to make his NASCAR Debut at COTA with Rick Ware Racing in partnership with Mobil1.
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Raikkonen and Button to clash after 7 years
Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button have raced alongside each other for a decade. Both the drivers are stalwarts of modern F1 icons with each driver claiming over 300 race starts, over 12 wins and an F1 World championship title.
Kimi won his title racing for Ferrari in 2007. He enjoyed a long and fruitful career in F1, finally retiring from the sport in 2021.
Jenson won his title with Brawn racing in 2009. However, retired in 2017 and has since raced in Super FT and 24 Hours of Le Mans and Extreme E. And now he will make his debut in the well-renowned American series.
Thank you for this opportunity @mobil1racing also thanks to Stewart Haas racing & @RickWareRacing for turning this around so quickly. let the challenge begin!#mobil1 #thejourneyisthereward #nascar #cupseries #15 pic.twitter.com/bzC2m0NPAj
— Jenson Button (@JensonButton) March 10, 2023
The Briton announced on social media that he will be racing in 3 NASCAR races with Rick Ware Racing in the No. 15 car. He will race at COTA, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Chicago Street Course.
He said in his announcement video, “Like any racer, I got restless. I asked what is left at the top of the motorsport. NASCAR is!” The former McLaren driver asserted he isn’t in for a joyride but wants to be competitive just as he was during his prime.
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Kimi Raikkonen returns to NASCAR 2023
Since his retirement, Kimi Raikkonen has been missed by F1 fans dearly. In order to give his fans a glimpse, the Iceman returned to the racing scene with his NASCAR debut in 2022.
He drove car number 91 for Trackhouse Racing Team in his NASCAR debut at Watkins Glen. The ferociously fast Finn qualified 27th out of 39 cars in his first outing. He even made it to the top 10 at one point but was forced to retire after crashing out.
As a part of Project91 and the driver’s popularity, Trackhouse decided to recall Kimi for another drive. This time he will feature at the Cup Series event at COTA.
The Iceman RETURNS!@F1’s Kimi Raikkonen will be back behind the wheel at @COTA!
DETAILS: https://t.co/9EfH1UowiQ pic.twitter.com/NJJ3weuhjC
— PROJECT91 (@THProject91) March 8, 2023
The former Ferrari driver claimed he enjoyed his last outing in the sport. But there was too much to learn at too little time for the 43-year-old Finnish driver. However, this time he vows it would be different.
Kimi said, “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.”
The 2007 Champion famously won his last F1 race at COTA during the 2018 United States Grand Prix. It was his first race win since the 2013 Australian GP, setting a record for 113 races between two race wins.
