Former Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen said he will indeed race in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway – and left the door open for a Sprint Cup start at Sonoma next month.
Kimi Raikkonen NASCAR’s Venture Turns To Nationwide Series At Charlotte
Raikkonen, the “Ice Man” whose cool demeanor matches his nickname, said he’s still undecided on his NASCAR future after making one Truck Series start last week and the impending Nationwide start for NEMCO Motorsports on Saturday.
Wearing a backwards Red Bull hat, a black Perky Jerky T-shirt and shorts, Raikkonen acknowledged he's thinking about running a road-course race in the Cup Series – but hasn't decided for sure.
“It would be nice to go and do (Sonoma), but I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not,” he said. “We’ll see what happens this weekend. I have to go back and do my Rally (car) stuff and we’ll see.”
Raikkonen said he’s yet to drive a Nationwide car – today is the first time – but feels somewhat confident because “at least I know the circuit and how the weekend goes.”
In talking with other drivers, he said, he was told there was “not an awful difference” between Trucks and Nationwide cars.
He does have 20 laps of experience in a Cup car – but not on an oval.
Raikkonen said his test last week – driving a Robby Gordon Motorsports car at the Virginia International Raceway road course – wasn’t all that helpful. Before he got a chance to run many laps, he took one turn too wide and tried to run through the grass.
“I went out and just ran a bit wide and I decided to go in the grass, but unfortunately there was a big hole in the grass and it destroyed the front a bit,” he said.
Still, that wasn’t enough to dissuade him from driving in Nationwide this weekend after reports said he was unsure about it earlier in the week.
"The Nationwide, we are here, so what's the most easiest thing to get more experience?" he said. "It was the easiest thing for me to do."
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