Sprint Car star Kyle Busch announced Saturday morning at Martinsville Speedway that his truck series team has signed ex-Formula One World Driving Champion Kimi Raikkonen to a limited schedule of Camping World Truck Series races this season. Raikkonen is expected to debut in the May 20 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a Toyota Tundra owned and prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports. Raikkonen, the 2007 F1 champion, won 18 grands prix in his nine-year career and had 44 other podium finishes. He's currently racing for ICE1 in the World Rally Championship series. He will be the second ex-F1 champion to try NASCAR in recent years, after 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve did 15 combined Camping World, Nationwide and Cup races between 2007 and last year. “We're honored that Kimi has chosen to start his career in NASCAR with (us),†Busch said in a statement. “Adding one of the most talented drivers in the world is a continuation of building a team of proven winners and champions at KBM. I look forward to assisting in Kimi's transition to NASCAR as both an owner and teammate.†Busch was scheduled to speak at length on the subject after Saturday's 250-lap Truck Series race at Martinsville. “I am really excited to have the opportunity to start my venture into NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports,†Raikkonen said in a statement of his own. “Kyle is one of the best in NASCAR, and being able to draw on his knowledge will be a valuable asset as I make my transition to a new form of racing. He has put together an experienced team that builds fast race trucks. I look forward to being a part of a team that has proven to be a winner on and off the race track.†The affiliation with Kyle Busch Racing apparently puts to rest the recent rumor that Raikkonen would race trucks for a team owned by Foster Gillett. Details of the sponsorship Raikkonen's schedule will be released as they emerge. Source - Autoweek
ROFLMAO..... He'll get spanked in NASCAR and sent on his merry way... Rolex would seem to be a much better fit for his skill set.
... or ALMS, LMS, FIA GT1, any of the touring cars, Aussie V8 Supercars, etc. On the other hand, Kimi isn't your typical ex-F1 driver...ya never know. Like I said elsewhere, I don't think his personality fits at all. No one is better than Kimi at turning a full sentence into a single monosyllabic and completely monotone word. Something tells he won't be interviewed often.....
....and one thing potential sponsors want in NASCAR is that a driver have the ability to be a good pitch man....which I can't imagine Kimi being. Heck in a commercial one wouldn't be able to discern if it is really Kimi or just a cardboard cut out.... LOL Look at Micheal Waltrip; he can't drive a lick but he has personality..so he continues to find sponsors even though he hasn't won but a handful of races over a very long career....and even in those, he mostly was a passenger in a fast car...... But the biggest thing is; I just don't see him mastering those large, heavy, low downforce cars.
I'm going to favor the opposite. Kimi will race well and interview well if needed. I'm basing that on his personality change since his time in WRC and what effect NASCAR had on Juan Pablo... He'll surprise many of us...
Being one of my favorite drivers of all time and actually liking his low key personality I wish him will. Even in that **** series.
Oh boy, knowing that I'm going to get flamed I'll go ahead and put my driving suit on... Let me first say that I like Kimi and that I think F1 is the ultimate in man and machine when it comes to racing... But. I think many underestimate the skill set it takes to compete in the upper ranks of NASCAR and how competitive it is. On a given weekend, there are not 5 or 6 cars that even have an outside chance of winning but well over 20 cars and teams with big budgets and tons of experience that can put it in victory lane. To think in this day and time that Sprint Cup in particular is where a driver can go and be successful after aging out of F1 is a tall order at best. Evidenced by Montoya who was/is a great driver but as of this writing has not been able to pull off a victory on an oval. It is a different skill set. Wish Kimi the best but I wouldn't put a dime on him ever winning a race in NASCAR. Just as I wouldn't put a dime on Jimmie Johnson or Kyle Bush ever being able to win an F1 race; given the chance.... Ain't gonna happen. I now sit with fire extinguisher in hand....pointed at myself.....lol
I get what you're saying. Figure skaters, speed skaters, hockey players.. they all do it with blades strapped to their feet on a sheet of ice, but the skills are different. There's been plenty of lighting fast track guys that failed in NFL. Running and catching a football is not the same as just running. Still, props to Kimi for trying. He obviously lost his passion for F1 after the championship season. You could see it in his driving the season after. So much props for not resting on his laurels and trying different things.
The beauty of it for Kyle is that Kimi is bringing his own money/sponsor.. So if they have the money to run, Kyle will have a truck to put him in. If he runs out of money he's gone and Kyle has lost nothing.. Smart move on Kimi's part to start off in a truck. Not as many top notch teams compared to Nationwide or Cup so it will be "alittle" easier. Bought his way into a top team so he just has to learn to drive it now. He has the best equipment.. It's all on him..
If they give him a partial lobotomy and teach him to say "thanks y'all" and all 1013 sponsor names in under 5 seconds, he will run in front... It is just NASCAR, after all. Hell, they sit in the middle just like F1 now, anyhow.
Räikkönen completes successful truck test for Kyle Busch Ex-Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen on Monday and Tuesday received his first taste of NASCAR when he tested a Camping World Truck Series machine at Gresham Motorsports Park in Gresham, Ga., north of Atlanta. The 31-year-old Finn ran in private, with no media permitted to observe as the current World Rally Championship competitor turned his first laps for Sprint Cup star and truck series team owner Kyle Busch, in what is being called a partnership with Räikkönen's IceOne Racing. Though none of the involved parties revealed lap times, comments from Kyle Busch Motorsports' team manager make it sound as though the driver had no problems adapting to stock-car driving as he completed about 400 laps on the flat, half-mile paved oval. "Overall the test went really well,†said Rick Ren. “We ran about 400 laps total between Monday and Tuesday. Kimi provided good feedback that allowed us to make our Toyota Tundra go faster. He is very methodical with his acceleration, braking and steering and there is no doubt that he has a good feel for a race vehicle. We threw a lot at him over the two days. We made a lot of chassis changes to both the front and rear. Shock adjustments, air pressure adjustments and trackbar adjustments so he could get a good feel for how these adjustments affect the handling of the truck. For being unfamiliar with a truck and unfamiliar with the track, he did an outstanding job. We made both race runs and qualifying runs and there is no doubt that making the truck go fast will not be a problem." In typical Räikkönen style, the driver said little but made it clear that the test gave him no second thoughts about throwing his helmet into the NASCAR ring. "It was a lot of fun,†he said. “I really had no expectations or anything to compare it to beforehand but at the end of the day, I am really looking forward to the first race. It seems like KBM is a top team and I am excited to work with them." Sources said that Busch showed up on Monday afternoon and also ran some laps. Brian Ickler, who often drives a KBM truck, also was on hand to help Räikkönen. Reportedly, the two-day test in Georgia is the only test Räikkönen will get before his race debut in Charlotte next month in a Friday night truck event on May 20 as part of Sprint All-Star weekend. According to a Canadian newspaper, Räikkönen is paying $100,000 per race for the use of Busch's trucks. Rue Frontenac reported that “Kyle Busch has never met Kimi Räikkönen†[obviously, written before Monday] but will “entrust one of his excellent trucks in exchange for a $100,000 check at every race.†The paper also said that Räikkönen plans to “pay for some truck races to raise interest and get a sponsorship budget for the Nationwide Series and possibly Sprint Cup.†KBM has confirmed only that Räikkönen will bring sponsorship money--with at least some of it coming from Perky Jerky--for three to five races. “Räikkönen shopped around for a drive with a number of teams and we won the war,†Busch said last weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Source - Autoweek
Some footage of Kimi from Charlotte. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcwONPkyEz8]YouTube - Kimi Raikkonen Charlotte NASCAR practice‏[/ame]
Some footage of Kimi from Charlotte. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcwONPkyEz8]YouTube - Kimi Raikkonen Charlotte NASCAR practice‏[/ame]
Took only three laps for him to find a wall but continued on to a very respectable 15th place finish in his first truck race. Not too shabby Kimi considering the trouble many regulars were having holding on to the track!! PS: His boss won...
I watched the race out of curiosity and he did much better than expected. The track was tricky for all drivers and a few of the top stars , 4 time champs etc. actually spun and or crashed . Kimi started 31 out of 34 i think, got as high as 5th and ended up 15th. he got sideways a few times and the announcers were very surprised that he was able to save it . He made a few really nice passes and ran three wide more than once . Just finishing was better than some of the much more experienced drivers were able to accomplish. He should come away from this feeling he got his moneys worth from the $ 100,000 rental he paid. Randy
This guy used to rally race too; he's got more background than just open wheel racing. He'll do fine, if he commits 100%. From a personality standpoint, it'll be interesting how he reacts when someone moves him out of the way--he's more like Montoya than anyone else, and Montoya is so vindictive on the track, at times he's more concerned about ruining someone else's race rather than winning it himself. But if he runs well, sponsorships will take care of themselves--they just won't be the typical U.S. sponsors. The question is wether he's up for the grind--he certainly doesn't need the money, and being a rookie all over again after being at the pinnacle--kind of like Jordan giving baseball a go. Overall, this is definitely good for NASCAR.