Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button raced collectively in Method One for over fifteen years. On 26 March, they are going to face off on the observe as soon as once more, albeit in a barely completely different automobile from what everyone seems to be used to.
On Thursday, Rick Ware Racing introduced Button will race in NASCAR for the primary time as he’ll do a three-race Cup Collection schedule of their #15 Ford Mustang. His first begin will come at Circuit of the Americas on 26 March, adopted by the Chicago Road Race on 2 July and Indianapolis Motor Speedway on 13 August.
The plan got here collectively as Button prepares to run the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June in a NASCAR Cup Collection Subsequent Gen Chevrolet Camaro, a undertaking organised by NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports beneath the Storage 56 banner. Whereas he might be in a Ford Subsequent Gen automobile for his NASCAR entries, the variations between NASCAR producers are comparatively scant, particularly for the Subsequent Gen automobile which receives a number of elements from single distributors no matter make. His Le Mans team-mates Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller additionally boast Cup expertise, the previous being a seven-time champion whereas the latter has dabbled on highway programs along with serving to take a look at the Storage 56 automobile. Jordan Taylor, who’s working as driver coach for the trio, can be set for his NASCAR début at COTA.
“Clearly, racing a Cup automobile may be very completely different than what I’m used to,” mentioned Button. “It’s lots heavier with lots much less energy and mainly no downforce. It’s bought a sequential gearbox the place you have to blip the throttle, so there’s plenty of stuff to be taught in a really quick house of time.
“However I simply get enthusiastic about that new problem, and once I throw myself into one thing, I’m one hundred pc in. I’m not simply doing it for enjoyable in some one-off. I wish to be aggressive, and I do know that to be aggressive, it’s going to take a little bit of time. That’s why doing these three races works very effectively this season.
“Crucial factor for me is to take pleasure in it. I wish to really feel comfy within the automobile figuring out that I can get as a lot out of the automobile in any state of affairs as different individuals out on observe. The result’s the consequence and we’ll see what occurs, however I wish to get the boldness to brake as late as I’d like, to hold the pace via the high-speed corners, and to have the ability to race shut, wheel-to-wheel with the pack.”
The 2009 Method One World Champion, Button has continued his racing profession in varied disciplines since departing F1 in 2017, profitable Tremendous GT’s GT500 championship and making his Le Mans début a 12 months later. He has additionally dabbled closely in off-road racing, competing within the Baja 1000 and Mint 400 in 2019, proudly owning JBXE in Excessive E because the inaugural season in 2021, and competing in Nitro Rallycross.
With Button and Räikkönen entered, COTA—which hosts F1’s United States Grand Prix—would be the first NASCAR race to characteristic a number of F1 champions. Different former World Champions to race in NASCAR embody Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, and Jacques Villeneuve (Sir Jackie Stewart didn’t make his lone NASCAR entry whereas Jochen Rindt was Clark’s substitute if wanted). Olivier Beretta, Christian Fittipaldi, Dan Gurney, Narain Karthikeyan, Daniil Kvyat, Jan Magnussen, Juan Pablo Montoya, Max Papis, Nelson Piquet Jr., and Scott Velocity have all competed in each disciplines.
In 5 Grands Prix at COTA, Button’s greatest end was fifth within the inaugural race in 2012. NASCAR’s Indianapolis race takes place on the infield highway course that beforehand hosted america Grand Prix, which Button ran from 2000 to the ultimate version in 2007 although with little success as he failed to attain any factors throughout a tumultuous level of his profession.
RWR’s #15 will function in collaboration with Stewart-Haas Racing, the same proposition to when SHR’s then-reserve driver Ryan Preece ran two races within the automobile in 2022; SHR’s Xfinity driver Riley Herbst, who additionally has Baja expertise like Button, ran the Daytona 500 within the automobile in February. Mobil 1, an SHR sponsor who additionally backed Button’s McLaren workforce throughout his profession, will sponsor the automobile.
