Kimi Raikkonen got his first taste of a NASCAR Next Gen car at VIRginia International Raceway [Thursday], ahead of his Cup Series debut at Watkins Glen next weekend.
The 2007 Formula 1 world champion will drive for Trackhouse Racing in the road course race at Watkins Glen on 21 August, driving a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 alongside team-mates Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain.
It will mark his first outing in a motorsport event since he called time on his 20-year F1 career last December with his final appearance for Alfa Romeo at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The NASCAR rulebook for testing of a Next Gen car was amended on June 15 to allow for a ‘Select Driver Orientation Test‘ for drivers who are entered for a Cup race within the following 90 days. Its series of provisos included limited data logging and setup changes on the day.
Earlier this week, Raikkonen spent time on Team Chevrolet‘s simulator, and went through data with Suarez, who claimed Trackhouse’s second road course victory of the year at Sonoma in June after Chastain prevailed at the Circuit of the Americas in March.
— Motorsport —
