Former Formula One World Champion Kimi Raikkonen announced in a Finland newspaper that he will be competing in the American NASCAR series along with competing in World Championship rallies. The Finn driver was the winner of the 2007 Formula One Championship with Ferrari but has since left and has been driving for Citroen in the world rallies since he left Formula One in 2009. He now plans to make his debut in the NASCAR circuit this year.
Raikkonen, nicknamed the ‘Iceman’, plans to enter the NASCAR races with his own team, aptly named the ICE1 team. He plans to race in the circuit when he isn’t busy with the world rally championships. In the paper, he is quoted is saying that he has been a fan of NASCAR for a long time and has always wanted to try to race in its circuits.
The paper stated that Raikkonen will start with the truck series before moving up to other NASCAR races. He is still under talks with a possible manufacturer for his NASCAR debut. At autosport.com, Foster Gillet, son of Liverpool co-owner George Gillet, is said to be a major partner in Raikkonen’s NASCAR team.
“I think it’s great for the series to have Kimi Raikkonen decide to enter NASCAR and race in the trucks, and it will be great for him to know what American racing is all about,” said Nelson Piquet. Piquet was also a former Formula One driver for Renault before leaving for NASCAR. Piquet sparked world-wide controversy in the sport when he revealed that in one of his races, he was once ordered to crash intentionally.
Other racers, such as 4-time Sprint winner Jeff Gordon, welcomed the news of Raikkonen joining NASCAR. He told reporters that he is also a fan of Formula One racing and has seen the Iceman race and win in the Formula One Series. He says he welcomes the challenge of racing against Raikkonen and hopes that he will get to ‘know what American racing is all about’.
This won’t be the first time that a Formula One driver will try his mettle in NASCAR. Aside from Piquet and Raikkonen, other prominent Formula One drivers who have switched to NASCAR include 1997 World Champion, Canadian Jaques Villeneuve and Columbia’s Juan Pablo Montoya, who is currently racing for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Raikkonen is among the most famous racers and is expected to draw in more American fans when he debuts in NASCAR.
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