Raikkonen will join Trackhouse Racing for the road race at Watkins Glen on August 21, driving a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 alongside teammates Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain.
It will be Raikkonen’s first appearance at a motorsport event since ending his 20-year F1 career last December with his final appearance for Alfa Romeo at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The 2007 F1 world champion has a history in NASCAR, competing in a Nationwide Series event – now known as the Xfinity Series – and a Truck Series race in 2011 with Kyle Busch Motorsports during his sabbatical from F1.
Kimi Raikkonen raced in NASCAR during his F1 break in 2011
Picture by: Motorsport Images
Raikkonen explained he was initially not considering any racing “in a very serious way” after leaving F1, only for talks to ramp up with Trackside Racing and lead to the entry of Watkins Glen.
“We had more discussions about it, how would it work, where would the race be and all sorts of other things,” Raikkonen said. “There’s a lot at stake, and it all made sense to me.
“It’s a race, so it made sense for all of us as a family. I always appreciated when I had my few races [in the United States].
“Hopefully we’ll have a good race and have fun. Obviously it’s a new car and I’ve never been on the track. But I’m sure we can figure it out.
Raikkonen’s entry with Trackhouse Racing is part of the team’s Project91 initiative, which seeks to expand NASCAR’s reach by dedicating its No. 91 car entry to international race drivers. Alongside Chastain and Suarez, Trackhouse will have three drivers from three different countries for the race at Watkins Glen.
“I’ve been a big fan of Kimi for a long time, following his career since he started in Formula 1 with Sauber,” said Trackhouse owner Justin Marks.
“One of the coolest moments of my career as a Formula 1 fan was being able to race against Kimi in Charlotte in 2011.
“I knew he had an interest in NASCAR, and had done it before, and I thought if I explained to him what this project was about, he would be interested in being a part of it.”
Kimi Raikkonen raced in NASCAR during his F1 break in 2011
Photo by: Getty Images
The plan for Raikkonen will be to go to the United States with enough time before the race to test in the Chevrolet car, as well as to drive the team’s simulator.
Marks visited Raikkonen at his home in Switzerland to talk about the deal and ‘sold the whole thing well’, according to the Finn.
Raikkonen said while there were opportunities to return to racing earlier this year, he wanted to give enough time to prepare for the Watkins Glen Cup race.
“There were obviously options to do more this year, but I think it all came a bit too fast, to try and do it as best we can on all sides,” Raikkonen said. “I think it was better to wait until this race, so that we can prepare everything and at least have done the job 100% well and nobody knows, we will at least give ourselves the best chance possible.
“What comes next? I don’t know, nobody knows. We’ll try to have a good race there and enjoy it, and see what the future holds. I have no other plans.
“That’s what I have right now, and we’ll go from there.”
Raikkonen once tested a Cup car on a road course, driving a Dodge for Robby Gordon Motorsports at Virginia International Raceway in 2011, but the test ended early when he drove off and tore his nose on wet grass.