On March 26, Kimi Raikkonen will be back behind the wheel of a NASCAR car at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) in Texas, and we’ve been talking about it. But he will be the only representative of Formula 1 in the American touring car series, and not the only world champion: Jenson Button will make his NASCAR debut in Austin.
Button will drive the Rick Ware Racing team’s Ford Mustang and Stewart-Haas Racing will take over marketing support for the project. Unlike Kimi, Jenson will have several races in NASCAR: in addition to COTA, this will be a stage on the new urban circuit in Chicago, as well as a race in Indianapolis on a track reminiscent of the configuration that once hosted Formula 1 races.
Jenson Button: “Of course the NASCAR car is very different from what I’m used to. It is much heavier and less powerful, and most importantly, it has no downforce. It has a sequential gearbox and when changing gears you have to operate the accelerator pedal – in general I have to learn a lot in a short time.
But I really like to take on a new challenge and when I do something, I immerse myself 100% in the work. And for me it’s not just entertainment, I want to be competitive and I understand that this takes time. So the plan to run three races this season should work.
I want to be comfortable behind the wheel so that I can squeeze as much out of the car as other racers in any situation. Let’s see what the results will be, but I want to make sure I can brake confidently – as late as I want, keep high speed in fast corners and fight closely with rivals.
Jenson already has an idea of the NASCAR technology, as he will drive such a machine this year, but with the necessary modifications, in the classic endurance race at Le Mans. This project is called Garage56 and together with the Hendrick Motorsports team he has already worked on tests in Sebring, Daytona and Austin.
After retiring from Formula 1, Button tried out different racing disciplines: he competed in the Japanese Super GT Championship and won it in 2018, competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Mint 400 and Baja 1000 off-road races.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
