Motorsports
Kimi Raikkonen didn’t stay away from the games for long
The Finnish Formula 1 World Champion will make an unexpected appearance in a very different kind of race at the US NASCAR Championship at the end of August.
Kimi Raikkonen left Formula 1 at the end of 2021 after two decades and a world championship with Ferrari, and said he’s confident he’ll find plenty of interesting activities, many of which are even more adrenaline-pumping, to have fun in the years to come. .
The first of these was race management for the Kawasaki factory team in the Motocross World Championship (MX). But Kimi couldn’t bear to stay away from the adrenaline and agreed to compete in the August 20-21 NASCAR American Championship race at Watkins Glen, USA.
This will be the 43-year-old Finn’s first appearance since last year’s Abu Dhabi GP, his last with Alfa Romeo. He will drive a Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 racer alongside Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain.
For the Trackhouse team, the deal isn’t just a publicity stunt. Waktins Glenn is one of NASCAR’s few “regular” non-ovalists, and so Raikkonen’s experience can be leveraged in them—unlike ovals, which require an entirely different driving philosophy.
This won’t be Kimi’s first time running in NASCAR. In 2011, while temporarily retiring from Formula 1, he competed with champion Kyle Busch’s team in a match in the -2nd- institution of the Nationwide Series and in one of the Truck Series.
“It’s just a fight and so it made sense for all of us, for my family, to be a part of it.” said Raikkonen. “I’ve always enjoyed running [στις ΗΠΑ]. There were many details that we needed to discuss and they all made sense to me. I hope we have fun and have a good fight. “Of course I’ll be driving an unfamiliar car at an unprecedented track, but I’m sure I can get away with it.”
To make ends meet, Kimi will travel to the US a week before the race to test the race Chevrolet but also spend time on the team simulator.
Raikkonen revealed he had other suggestions for increased involvement in NASCAR this year, but decided to wait: “We had options, but I think they all came a little early. “I preferred to prepare 100% for this game,” he explained. “No one knows what will happen after that. We’ll try to have a good fight and enjoy it and see what the future brings. “I have no other plans,” Kimi concluded.
Source: sport 24
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.