Primarily, it’s the oval tracks that characterize racing in NASCAR. However, there are a few road course races and even one street race in the Cup Series calendar. Full-time racers are not known for their ability to navigate such tracks as they’re used to racing ovals. So some teams field a driver from outside of NASCAR who specializes in road and street course races. These drivers are known as road course ringers.
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Last season, Shane van Gisbergen became the most popular road course ringer in recent history. The Kiwi won his debut NASCAR race on the streets of Chicago, but he is not the first to do it. The first evidence of road course ringers in the sport dates back to 1954. That’s when the sport held its first-ever road course race in New Jersey.
1 Year ago today, Shane Van Gisbergen won at The Chicago Street Course, on his NASCAR Debut #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/eJwjfJltxZ
— Daniel Kriete (@DanielKriete4) July 2, 2024
Road courses have gained popularity over the years and the races are a mainstay in the Cup Series calendar today. A big shift from the kind of racing NASCAR drivers are comfortable with was the Chicago Street Race inaugurated in 2023. The heavy stock cars are already difficult to turn. Add tight corners and narrow barriers to that and it’s a complete shift from what fans and drivers are accustomed to.
It’s no wonder that teams get drivers from other competitions like IndyCar, Trans Am series, and Supercars to run such races. But perhaps the biggest series from where drivers have to come from is Formula One.
The biggest names in Formula One to have raced in NASCAR
Quite a few racers have tried their luck in the competition and that includes the F1 world champions. The biggest name to have ever been a road course ringer is probably Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 World Champion. The Finn was a part of Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91. His best result in the Cup Series was a P29 finish at COTA.
Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 World Champion also took part in several NASCAR races. He earned several top-five finishes in the Nationwide Series from 2008 to 2012. His best results (multiple P3 finishes) came at Road America and the iconic Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Other Formula One drivers to have taken part as road course ringers include the likes of Jenson Button, Nelson Piquet Jr., and Kamui Kobayashi. Most of them are well past their prime by the time they race in NASCAR but it’s still huge for the sport in terms of international appeal.
