Formula One Great Kimi Raikkonen Returns To NASCAR’s Project 91 Team At COTA

One of the great moments in Kimi Raikkonen’s Formula One career was on October 21, 2018, when the native of Espoo, Finland led 39 laps and won the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in a Ferrari.

On March 26, Raikkonen returns to COTA, but he is trading in his Ferrari for a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

The 2007 Formula One World Champion will make his second NASCAR Cup Series race for PROJECT91, the Trackhouse Entertainment Group announced Wednesday.

It will mark Räikkönen’s second Cup Series race after debuting with PROJECT91 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International on Aug. 21 last year.

“It was a great experience; a great trip, but unfortunately the end result wasn’t what we were looking for,” Raikkonen said of his NASCAR Cup Series debut last August. “I’m excited to have another go and hopefully stay out of any big issues.

“It was great at Watkins Glen. It was quite an unknown for me. I didn’t know the track and didn’t know the track other than the test that I had. Every time I was in the car, I felt like if I had nother go, it would be much easier. That is what is always exciting.

“In the race, it started in the wet and I had never driven that car in the wet. It was a lot of unknowns that weekend. But the more laps I had, the more feeling I had for the car before we ended up in the accident. I was happy with the way it went in many ways.

“As a racer, you want more and better and results. But any results in NASCAR is difficult to have that many cars on such a narrow track.”

Unlike the Watkins Glen track, Räikkönen is familiar with COTA, racing on the road course eight times during his Formula One career. Of Raikkonen’s 21 Formula One victories, his most recent came at COTA in 2018.

“I had a fantastic time in NASCAR,” Räikkönen said Wednesday. “There was a lot to learn in a very short amount of time, but everyone was very helpful, the competition was a big challenge. This time I get to race on a track I am familiar with so there won’t be as steep of a learning curve. I want to have fun, but also do as well as we can.”

Raikkonen said racing at COTA will be helpful because of his previous experience on the race course in Formula One.

“It is helpful I know the track, but it’s different the way a NASCAR and a Formula One car feels on a track,” Raikkonen said. “I have to remember there is slightly less downforce the first time I leave the pits.

“It’s a different car, so the track will feel completely different. I have some experience from last year in the car. We’ll show up for practice, then for qualifying. The plus side is I know the track, but it will be a lot of things I need to learn quickly.

“I did the proper go-karts with my son so that should help. That should be tricky, but at least I have an idea now of how to approach the weekend slightly better. I know what to expect now. It will be beneficial.

“We’ll see what we’ve got.”

Trackhouse Racing – a division of Trackhouse Entertainment Group – fields the No. 99 and the No. 1 Chevrolets with drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The Story Of PROJECT91

Trackhouse Owner and Founder Justin Marks created PROJECT91 last year intent on expanding the organization’s global reach by fielding a Cup Series entry for renowned international racing drivers.

“When we announced Kimi last year, I said he was the global superstar I had in mind when we created PROJECT91. I think you saw the fan reception across the world and Kimi’s performance in the car was proof of the concept. Kimi’s following is massive and it’s great for NASCAR, Trackhouse plus I think Kimi really enjoys our racing.

“This is exactly what we want to do with PROJECT91. The future of this program is to get drivers of Kimi’s caliber to experience NASCAR but go through that experience and want to do it again. They are intrigued by that and want to do it and it will get better. The NASCAR fans love it and there was a huge European tune-in when Kimi raced at Watkins Glen watching the NASCAR race on TV. I expect the same this year.

“We’re the defending winners of the race (with Ross Chastain). No pressure.”

Marks understands how COTA takes on different characteristics to the particular car that is on the track, so he understands how it will feel different from Formula One to the NASCAR Cup Series.

“I raced a car at COTA, then went on YouTube that night and watched Formula One with an onboard camera and it looked like a completely different race track. What is nice about the NASCAR is you are off throttle so much; it becomes racier of a track because you have more options.

“It’s a lot more in your hands, your control.”

Strong Sponsor Support

Räikkönen will race the No. 91 Onx/iLOQ Chevrolet Camaro at COTA fielded by a Trackhouse crew led by 23-time wining crew chief Darian Grubb who won a Cup Series title with Tony Stewart in 2011.

“I know the car, but like I said, on a different track, the car will need different things,” he said. “In a lot of ways, it’s a more challenging track for the NASCAR Cup Series car with a lot more corners than Watkins Glen. It might be more challenging in COTA, even though I know the track.

“I’m looking forward to it. It will be exciting.

“It can become a very good racing circuit. What I also felt at Watkins Glen is it is surprisingly difficult to overtake in NASCAR. You can overtake. Hopefully in Austin, it will be easier because of the heavier braking in the corner. We have to have the speed to overtake.”

To that, Marks replied, “I think you will have the speed. We have a really nice race car built for you. Now, with the team having the experience working with you and understanding the feedback, we have much more tools we can use to get you up to speed right away.”

Onx is transforming how the world builds homes and neighborhoods through X+ Construction, a fully integrated system that merges high-end design and leading technology, delivering more value at every step of the homeowner journey. The company served as the primary sponsor on Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet when he won the COTA race last year as well as Daniel Suárez’s victory at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway in June.

iLOQ, the Finnish pioneer of smart and mobile locking systems, is present in the American market with its battery-free technology that ensures secure and intelligent access management for people and businesses.

Last summer, Räikkönen became the first PROJECT91 driver visiting the team’s Concord, North Carolina race shop and testing with the team at Virginia International Raceway. At the Watkins Glen race, Räikkönen qualified 27th then raced in the top-10 most of the afternoon before a late race accident caused by another driver ended his day.

Marks said Räikkönen will again visit the shop in the days before the Austin, Texas event, but no test sessions are planned before the COTA race.

“I’m sure there are a lot of drivers that would like to have a chance to try NASCAR,” said Räikkönen. “It’s not very easy, so maybe it will open some doors in the future for more chances to try and get more Europeans into the sport.”

The native of Espoo, Finland retired from Formula One in 2021 after competing with the Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, and Alfa Romeo teams since he started in 2001. His Formula One highlight came in 2007 when he won the F1 World Driving title for Scuderia Ferrari.

He competed in the Xfinity and Truck Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2011.

The Bigger Picture

It’s the next step in Trackhouse bringing something new and different to the NASCAR Cup Series.

“For Trackhouse, we want to be a team that is different, that brings exciting things to the race track that people haven’t seen before,” Marks said. “This car, with the independent rear suspension and the sequential shifter and single lug, this car is more consistent with race cars around the world. Somebody from another discipline can come in and be competitive in it because it’s a lot closer to what they have experienced.

“PROJECT91 has been great for Trackhouse because it’s another thing we are doing that gets the fans excited and helps us stand apart a little bit and be unique.

“We all love NASCAR racing. We grew up in it. NASCAR is becoming more globally relevant and diverse with the types of tracks they go to. PROJECT91 delivers something new to the sport and exposes the fans to new drivers and different drivers they have heard about. It’s setting a trend a little bit with other teams finding unique drivers to compete. It helps the sport and PROJECT91 is leading the way in that regard.

“That helps us as a company. It’s really exciting for everybody.”