Most liked posts in thread: Ummm..Huh..WHAT!!! - Kyle Busch signs Kimi Raikkonen to drive in truck series

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.

 

Yes this will be both funny & sad... :lol: :frown2:

 

....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.

 

Just what NASCAR needs. Sisu. Good luck Kimi

 

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.

 

I love to see how the money works in that business.

 

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.