After eight lengthy months, Kimi Raikkonen followers can come out of chilly turkey with their hero’s return to racing motion this coming weekend.
In 2011, throughout what proved to be a sabbatical from F1 slightly than retirement, the flying Finn took half in two totally different NASCAR occasions – the Tenting World Truck Sequence and the Nationwide Sequence.
Neither was the premier NASCAR class and Raikkonen carried out creditably with out setting the world alight.
Now he’s again for one more go – and this time it’s the actual deal.
Which NASCAR race is Kimi Raikkonen competing in?
It has the lower than crystal clear title of the 2022 Go Bowling at The Glen and takes place over 90 laps of the two.45-mile Watkins Glen circuit in New York state.
That is spherical 25 of 26 within the common season earlier than the NASCAR Cup Sequence heads into the play-offs, which conclude with the Championship Race in Phoenix, Arizona on November 6.
It’s – for now anyway – a one-off look for Raikkonen, who will due to this fact haven’t any designs on the title being focused by the likes of factors chief Chase Elliott, winner of three of the final eight races, the 2020 champion and named hottest driver in every of the previous 4 years.
Who’s Kimi Raikkonen driving for?
Trackhouse Racing first competed within the 2021 season and belongs to the Trackhouse Leisure Group, owned by Justin Marks and Armando Christian Perez – or, to cite his stage title, the singer/rapper Pitbull.
So, to cite Pitbull’s arguably best-known (and borrowed) lyrics, will or not it’s a lodge, motel or Vacation Inn accommodating Kimi this weekend?
On the crew’s current type, he needn’t fear about racking up an enormous Resort Room Service invoice – Daniel Suarez gave the crew their first victory in Sonoma, California in June and the Mexican has had 5 top-10 finishes in his final eight begins.
Marks is anticipating Raikkonen to shine at Watkins Glen within the Project91 crew, which was fashioned to provide worldwide racers an opportunity in NASCAR.
“I’m optimistic, I’ve excessive expectations,” stated Marks. “He has actually carried out a number of work and preparation and that’s not shocking to me as a result of that’s what it takes to be as profitable as he’s been in Formulation 1 for thus lengthy.”
The Iceman. Watkins Glen. This weekend. We’re prepared. pic.twitter.com/T1CqfQlxQw
— PROJECT91 (@THProject91) August 15, 2022
Learn extra: Kimi Raikkonen anticipating ‘simpler’ NASCAR outing after Virginia check
What are the important thing variations between NASCAR and Formulation 1?
Aside from the very fact Raikkonen can be racing at Watkins Glen, which used to stage the US Grand Prix and final did so in 1981, there are only a few direct connections.
After we consider NASCAR, we are likely to visualise vehicles going nostril to tail round an oval, particularly in two columns after a warning interval, producing extra closely-packed racing than you’ll see in F1.
It is a fashion to which single-seater drivers must shortly turn out to be accustomed, being in what extra resembles a highway automotive – or a touring automotive, to European motorsport followers. Additionally it is often known as a inventory automotive and might be double the burden of its Formulation 1 counterpart.
Contact between opponents is rather more frequent in NASCAR and customarily much less damaging within the sturdier equipment, whereas refuelling is permitted and meaning pit-stops take longer than in F1.
Raikkonen will even should re-familiarise himself with not having the identical info accessible about his automobile that he did in F1, when it comes to with the ability to regulate settings because of info handed on by his crew.
Is Kimi Raikkonen more likely to contest extra NASCAR races?
That can absolutely come right down to how a lot he enjoys this expertise, and never essentially how he fares.
Throughout his previous few years in F1, racing within the midfield at greatest for Alfa Romeo, The Iceman made it no secret that he was sticking in there primarily as a passion – breaking all types of longevity data however seemingly not too fussed about how profitable he was.
In any case, he had been World Champion as soon as and that appeared simply fantastic by him.
Even at 42 although, he can be a very long time retired and perhaps, simply perhaps, he nonetheless desires one thing to do apart from elevating his household.
So, Kimi followers, take advantage of this NASCAR outing. However, fingers crossed, it will not be the final we see of him in motion.