Raikkonen going to NASCAR

Is NASCAR where F1 champions go to retire? It’s possible; Kimi Raikkonen is headed to the US to drive in NASCAR’s Camping World (that’s caravans to you) Truck Series. Kimi could be behind the wheel in Charlotte, North Carolina as soon as next month, May 20th, at Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 1.5-mile oval track.

Raikkonen’s new NASCAR team will reportedly be called “ICE 1”, a nod to his F1 nickname, “The Ice Man.”  The team is a joint venture between Raikkonen and Richard Petty Motorsports managing partner, Foster Gillett. How this will work out with Kimi’s current commitment in WRC remains to be seen as he still has eight races to complete his contract this season. Should Raikkonen have a successful season racing trucks regionally in the US, the next step up the NASCAR ladder is the National Sprint Cup series.

How does the notoriously tight-lipped driver feel about racing in the US? He said the following to Finnish newspaper Tarun Sanomat, "I’m really looking forward to get there to familiarize to the world of NASCAR. I have been following it for a long time. I know, it’s a very tough and open top racing series. I just love the American spirit of racing. It feels just great to get involved with that. Obviously, it will be very challenging and great fun for me.”

Kimi Raikkonen spent about 9 years in F1, started 157 Grand Prix and stood on the top step of the podium 18 times. He won the F1 drivers world championship in 2007 driving for Ferrari. Only time will tell whether he’ll be able to conquer Nascar as well. Other F1 defectors have had some success driving in NASCAR, they included Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve, Narain Karthikeyan and even Mario Andretti.  Autoviva will be watching and we’ll keep you posted.