(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden
What Happened?
The Iceman is coming to NASCAR.
Ex-Formula 1 competitor and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen was announced as the first driver of Trackhouse Racing’s “Project 91” program. The 42-year-old will make his Cup Series debut in the Aug. 21 race at Watkins Glen International, piloting the No. 91 Chevrolet.
The move is the first of what Trackhouse co-owner Justin Marks believes could be many appearances from renowned international drivers in the team’s third, part-time entry. Project 91 was announced on Tuesday, with the aim of bringing in recognizable global stars to make their Cup Series debuts in good equipment during the Next Gen era.
“Kimi Raikkonen is the driver I first had in mind when we created PROJECT91,” Marks said. “Kimi is a world-renowned driver with a tremendous amount of talent and fan following. We have had long discussions, and like us, he is already hard at work preparing for Watkins Glen.”
For Raikkonen, the announcement is a return to racing months after the end of his F1 career. The Finn completed 350 races over 19 season in F1, with 21 wins and 103 podiums along the way. Raikkonen also tried his hand at rally and even a pair of starts at NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series levels back in 2011.
Darian Grubb will serve as Raikkonen’s crew chief for the effort. It’s the only expected start for the No. 91 entry this year, with hopes of an expanded program in 2023.
Kimi Raikkonen. Watkins Glen. PROJECT91.
The Iceman returns. pic.twitter.com/4SSrQPjynQ
— PROJECT91 (@THProject91) May 26, 2022
Analysis
When Marks and co. announced plans for the Project 91 entry on Tuesday, it quickly caught the eye of race fans and media the world over. Articles were written about who should drive the car and fans on Reddit, Twitter and other social media pondered who the first entrant could be.
The program itself was promising and unique. But if it was going to take off, the first name needed to be one that people would recognize – someone that would show just how serious Trackhouse was about its potential and success.
In that context, Raikkonen was a perfect fit.
The Finn is a big enough name to show the intrigue and potential of the program, while being an easier fit given his current lack of competition post-F1. He also has basic experience in a NASCAR stock car, though much has changed since his Xfinity and Truck Series runs in 2011. His addition will add buzz to a late-summer Watkins Glen weekend that could have otherwise been overshadowed by other road courses and will encourage fans of Raikkonen and F1 to tune in and see how he performs.
But the bigger boost with Thursday’s news comes to Trackhouse Racing and NASCAR as a whole.
Nearly every race fan has done the fantasy game of pondering how Driver X would perform in a Cup Series car. But with most major teams maxed out on their four-allotted entries with charters, the prospects for any major name to actually come to NASCAR and make a splash have been limited. Part-time entries have typically come for smaller teams in underfunded equipment, adding great challenge to their attempts to be competitive.
That’s not the case with Trackhouse Racing. Despite being just a second-year team, the organization has already won two races (including a road course race) with Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez seems closer to victory and playoff contention than ever. This program offers Raikkonen the chance to come over and truly compete with equipment theoretically up to par with the best teams and drivers in NASCAR.
That’s an exciting proposition for both Raikkonen and the Cup Series regulars that will get a chance to compete alongside him.
Assuming this program goes well, it serves as a strong proof of concept that could help entice other stars from across the world to give NASCAR’s top series a chance.
Daniel Ricciardo is struggling at McLaren in F1 and has voiced his interest in NASCAR over the years. Could he do like Fernando Alonso did with the 2017 Indianapolis 500 and give another discipline a chance?
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has given up two-wheeled competition and is making sports car starts. Could he be swayed to give a NASCAR race a go?
What about World Rally Championship star-turned DTM competitor Sebastien Loeb, Supercars ace and NTT IndyCar Series winner Scott McLaughlin or current Supercars star Shane van Gisbergen?
Who knows who might be interested? It may take until 2023 or later to find out.
But for the first time in years, there’s genuine potential for a major crossover star to compete at the top level in NASCAR. That’s something all parties involved should be commended for.
