Former Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen behind wheel for NASCAR race at Watkins Glen
What happens when you put a Formula One legend in a NASCAR race on a track familiar to the entire racing world?
And what if we add international superstar Pitbull to the mix?
We find out this weekend when former F1 champ Kimi Raikkonen competes against North America’s top stock-car racers at Watkins Glen in New York.
“This will be fun, but it’s something I will take very seriously,” Raikkonen said. “I know how competitive the NASCAR Cup Series is and it will be a big challenge.”
It will be the first start for TrackHouse Racing’s new “Project91” program. TrackHouse, owned by Justin Marks and Pitbull, is fielding a No. 91 Chevrolet along with its two full-time Cup Series rides — the No. 1 driven by Ross Chastain and the No. 99 wheeled by Daniel Suarez.
Raikkonen has a wee bit of NASCAR experience. It came in 2011, during his two-year hiatus from Formula One. He raced twice at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series (he finished 27th) and Truck Series (15th).
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But his worldwide fame and fortune were built on the splashy circuits of F1. In 350 career starts between 2001-21, he had 21 wins, 142 podium finishes, the 2007 world championship, and was twice championship runner-up.
Kimi Raikkonen prepped heavily for Watkins Glen and NASCAR
The 42-year-old Finland native — and Swiss resident — got some stock-car seat time this past week during a test session at Virginia International Raceway. He also did plenty of Watkins Glen prep on the simulator before heading to upstate New York for the real deal.
“Project91” is Marks’ brainchild, and he hopes to use it to occasionally lure an international racing star to the seat.
“The genesis of Project91 was just my desire as a race fan to see cool things happen in racing,” Marks said. “A Formula One driver coming to NASCAR and being competitive at the Cup level is a cool thing.”
Kimi Raikkonen not only NASCAR moonlighter at Watkins Glen
Raikkonen said he wasn’t looking to return to a track so early into retirement, but Marks convinced him the opportunity was a good one.
“I wasn’t looking to race again,” Raikkonen said, “but Justin came to my home in Switzerland and convinced me how serious he was about putting together a top-notch program.”
Raikkonen is the most decorated Watkins Glen moonlighter this week, but not the only one. The entry list also includes a pair of sports-car aces — Germany’s Mike Rockenfeller and England’s Kyle Tilley, along with Russian F1 driver Daniil Kvyat, and NASCAR Euro Series champ Loris Hezemans of the Netherlands.
Also entered as a "road-course ringer" is American sports-car racer Joey Hand, who'll be in Rick Ware Racing's No. 15 Ford. Among many other North America road-racing victories, Hand was part of Chip Ganassi's overall winner at the 2011 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
This weekend, Watkins Glen Qualifying is Saturday and the race is Sunday, with TV coverage beginning at 3 p.m. on the USA Network.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Kimi Raikkonen NASCAR: F1 champ racing Watkins Glen in Pitbull's car
