Where will Kimi Räikkönen race next?

Kyle Busch dispelled the notion that a lack of funding played a role in Kimi Räikkönen's brief stint with the NASCAR star's racing team, but Busch couldn't clarify the former Formula One champion's future in NASCAR or with Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Busch said Friday before practice at Kansas Speedway, site of Sunday's Sprint Cup race, that money wasn't an issue with the Finn, who signed a deal with Kyle Busch Motorsports in April to run three to five Trucks Series races.

Räikkönen ran one Trucks races, then decided to run the Nationwide event last week in Charlotte, finishing four laps down in 27th.

"They paid for the Truck races, but then he said, 'OK, let's do a Nationwide race.' So, we took those funds from the end of the year and put them to that Nationwide race. So, they are paid in full for the races they've run," Busch said.

Busch said he hasn't discussed future NASCAR plans with Räikkönen, though he's open to talking with him about running more Trucks or Nationwide races, mentioning venues such as Atlanta, Martinsville and Homestead.

"I like Kimi. I liked working with him and talking with him and developing a little bit of a relationship there," Busch said. "I feel like he had a good time while here and working with us."

Räikkönen spent nine years in Formula One, driving for Sauber, McLaren and Ferrari. He had 18 wins and won the 2007 championship, and his decision to give NASCAR a go created buzz around the circuit.

He is currently racing for the World Rally Car Championship with his own team, ICE 1 Racing, but is not scheduled to compete in that series again until later this month in Greece.

"He's got Rally and other stuff that he's worried about. We're not mad whatsoever. We knew things would change so that's why contracts are always kind of weirded out anyway," Busch said.

Source: ESPN - The Associated Press

TRUCKS: Räikkönen Has Paid In Full For Races He’s Run Says Ren

Kyle Busch Motorsports general manager Rick Ren insists Kimi Räikkönen doesn't owe the team money...

Kimi Räikkönen has paid for the races he has run for Kyle Busch Motorsports and does not owe the team money, KBM general manager Rick Ren said Saturday.

The question over whether Räikkönen had paid for his races was raised Thursday after team owner Kyle Busch said that the original plan of doing three to five Camping World Truck Series events with Raikkonen had changed because Raikkonen had not yet paid for future events.

"What's changed is the payment schedule,” Busch said Thursday. “The contract states that we're supposed to receive so much and we have not. We've only received enough for these two races.

“It's either up to Kimi or up to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide that they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further."

Those comments were interpreted that the former Formula One champion might still owe Busch money. Ren said prior to Räikkönen’s Nationwide Series debut Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway that that is not the case.

“Reports circulating that Kimi has not paid for the races he is running at KBM are untrue,” Ren said. “As Kyle Indicated Thursday, we have received payments from Kimi for both last week’s truck race and today’s Nationwide Series race.

“When Kyle stated that the payment schedule has changed, he was referring to plans for future truck races for Kimi at KBM.”

Ren reiterated there is no disagreement between KBM and Räikkönen’s management over payments.

“Since the original announcement, the plan changed and all parties agreed to take the funding for future truck races and put it towards running today’s Nationwide Series race,” Ren said. “After today’s race, if Kimi is interested in running more NASCAR events this year, we’ll be happy to discuss that with him.”

Source: Nascar.SpeedTV

Räikkönen and Busch to part ways?

Kyle Busch may have been looking at Kimi Räikkönen as a way of expanding the Truck Series team he owns, but Kimi's ambitions are taking him in other directions

When Kimi Räikkönen announced that he was going to try his hand at NASCAR, it seemed only right that he would pair with Kyle Busch Motorsports: who else but the Wild Thing would dare something as audacious as teaming up with the Iceman to bring a former F1 world champion to the States?

But despite a solid début with the team in the Truck Series race at Charlotte last week that saw him finish in 15th place and on the lead lap, plus KBM arranging an alliance with Joe Nemechek's NEMCO Motorsports to put Kimi in a Nationwide car this weekend, it seems that the budding alliance between Busch and Raikkonen may already have run its course.

The original plan had suggested up to five Truck races with KBM this year, with Raikkonen investing a chunk of his own change into the endeavour as well as bringing some big name, high value personal sponsors with him. But according to Busch, the money's not coming through as planned.

"What's changed is the payment schedule," Busch said. "The contract states we're supposed to receive so much, and we have not. We've only received enough for these two races.

"It's either up to Kimi or to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further."

Rather than a lack of money, it's probably more a case of Kimi having to decide exactly what he wants to do next. Five Truck races might have seemed like a grand plan back when he started his Great American Adventure back in March, but now staying in trucks seems a little ... dull, especially to a former world champion who just wants to have some fun.

If Kimi decided he'd rather race in Nationwide - let alone Sprint Cup - instead of "wasting his time" down in Trucks, then he would have immediately outgrown KBM. Busch's team is an exclusively Truck Series operation at present, although it had eyes on expanding into Nationwide in due course - perhaps via tracking a more measured career progression for Raikkonen

For that reason, extending himself to put Raikkonen into Joe Nemechek's #87 in the Nationwide Series just about fitted Busch's plans, albeit at a stretch. What doesn't fit in at all is Raikkonen eyeing up a Sprint Cup ride.

"It would be nice to go and do it, but I don't know if it's going to happen or not," said Raikkonen, talking about the possibility of running the June 26 Sprint Cup Sonoma road race.

"As far as the Sonoma race, we've had no discussions about Cup stuff at all," said Busch, succinctly. "As far as I know, this weekend is the last hoorah with Kimi unless he wants to come back to do further races in NASCAR."

Räikkönen tried out a Sprint Cup ride on Tuesday on the road course at Virginia International Roadway commonly used by Sprint Cup drivers to repare for Sonoma events. Kimi got the loan of the Robby Gordon Motorsports #7 for the day, but it did not go well.

"Obviously it's what our goal was, to have a good test and see how it went," Gordon said. "Unfortunately, the test went bad." Raikkonen ran off road and severely damaged the nose of the car, resulting in an estimated two weeks' worth of damage. "That was the car that finished second last year at Sonoma. So that was our primary. We've got our work cut out for us."

Did the experience sour Kimi's taste for further NASCAR adventures? Despite the cost and inconvenience for Robby Gordon, he's still open to taking discussions with Raikkonen further, if the Finn is so inclined: "That doesn't mean we wouldn't do it still," said Gordon.

Räikkönen certainly has no shortage of opportunities in NASCAR if he wants to take them up. His initial hook-up with Kyle Busch has given him an entrée into the NASCAR scene and set him up with connections with Nemechek and Robby Gordon if he wants to pursue them. His track outings even caught the eye of the NASCAR man of the moment, Carl Edwards, who was on track for Raikkonen's Nationwide practice session début

"Who is that in the #87?" he enquired over the radio, suddenly aware of an unfamiliar driving style. "He was driving the wheels off it ... Then I saw Perky Jerky on it. He definitely has some car control for sure. That's not lip service."

So the doors to NASCAR are open - or at least ajar - for Kimi Raikkonen; but perhaps NASCAR isn't falling over itself to usher him in to quite the extent that Kimi hoped and expected? Or perhaps it's just not proving as much fun as he hoped it would be.

Either way, Kimi Raikkonen will return to Europe next week to consider his next move - whether to carry on the appearances with (and payments to) Kyle Busch Motorsports for some more Truck outings, or more likely whether to pursue something in Sprint Cup or Nationwide. Or maybe, nothing at all; maybe the land of the Perky Jerky just isn't to his taste after all.

Räikkönen's US manager Todd Hirschfeld put it best and most accurately earlier this week, when he said: "This is the truth: Kimi does what Kimi wants to do."

Source: Crash.net

Räikkönen hopeful for Sprint Cup start at Infineon

Kimi Räikkönen's relationship with Kyle Busch Motorsports may be over, but the former Formula One champion may continue his NASCAR adventure in a Sprint Cup car at Infineon Raceway.

Räikkönen, who makes his Nationwide Series debut Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, tested Robby Gordon's Sprint Cup car one day earlier this week at Virginia International Raceway, and said he'd like to attempt the June 26 event in Sonoma, Calif.

"It would be nice to go and do it, but I don't know if it's going to happen or not," said Räikkönen, who also competes on the World Rally circuit. "We'll see what happens really after this weekend. I have to go and do my rally stuff, so we'll see if I come back."

Any effort at Infineon isn't likely to be backed by Kyle Busch Motorsports, which fielded a Camping World Truck entry last weekend for the Räikkönen, who placed 15th in his NASCAR debut. Busch's team is also overseeing Räikkönen's Nationwide effort this weekend, although the Finn is racing a No. 87 car technically supplied and owned by the organization owned by Joe Nemechek.

"As far as the Sonoma race, we've had no discussions about Cup stuff at all," Busch said. "As far as I know, this weekend is the last hoorah with Kimi unless he wants to come back to do further races in NASCAR."

That's something of a change from the original plan, which was slated to be three to five races with KBM. The reason? "What's changed is the payment schedule," Busch said. "The contract states we're supposed to receive so much, and we have not. We've only received enough for these two races ... It's either up to Kimi or to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further."

That doesn't rule out the possibility that Raikkonen could run the Sonoma race for Gordon, whose No. 7 car he tested at VIR. "Obviously it's what our goal was, to have a good test and see how it went," Gordon said. "Unfortunately, the test went bad. That doesn't mean we wouldn't do it still."

Any Robby Gordon Motorsports entry for Raikkonen at Sonoma would be a second car, although Gordon isn't sure whether it would be the No. 7 he usually drives -- which is locked into the top 35 in owners' points -- or a No. 77, which would have to make the race on speed. Although Gordon said he believes Räikkönen has sponsorship for a Sonoma effort, he added the car suffered damage in the test and would require about two weeks' worth of repair work.

"So we'd be two weeks out," Gordon said. "That was the car that finished second last year at Sonoma. So that was our primary. We've got our work cut out for us."

Räikkönen held his own in Nationwide practice, posting the 18th-fastest lap Thursday in the final session before Saturday's 300-mile race at Charlotte. He even caught the attention of Carl Edwards, who at one point radioed his race team and asked, "Who is that in the 87?"

"He is loose," Edwards said. "He was driving the wheels off it. I was just surprised. I didn't know who was in that car. Had no clue. Then I saw [sponsor] Perky Jerky on it. He definitely has some car control for sure. That's not lip service."

Source: Nascar.com

Kimi Räikkönen making Nationwide debut but uncertain about NASCAR future

Kimi Räikkönen does not know when or if he will return to NASCAR following Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Kimi Räikkönen will make his Nationwide Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, but as far as his future plans, the former Formula One champion said he was unsure whether he will return to NASCAR and when that return might come.

Räikkönen, who drove a truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports last week at Charlotte and then tested a Sprint Cup car for Robby Gordon Motorsports on Tuesday, will drive for Nemco Motorsports in a KBM-prepared Nationwide car this weekend in the Top Gear 300.

Whether the 31-year-old Finnish driver goes Cup racing remains to be seen.

“You always have in mind to try to do [Cup],” Räikkönen said Thursday prior to Nationwide practice. “Another thing is it going to happen or not. I don’t know.

“Of course I am probably more keen to the road courses than anything else. I leave Saturday as soon as the race is over back to Europe. I have other things to do. After that, I don’t know when I will be back.”

Räikkönen, whose primary racing job is competing for his own team in the World Rally Championship in Europe, crashed during his Cup test Tuesday at Virginia International Raceway. It didn’t give him much of a feel for whether to return to NASCAR to compete in the Cup event at Infineon Raceway next month.

“I just ran a bit wide and decided to go with the grass, but unfortunately there was a big hole or something in the grass so it destroyed the front end a bit,” Räikkönen said. “It was fun to drive it. … I probably ended up doing only 20 laps.

“We just put tires on the car. We didn’t do any changes. We didn’t have time. Like I said, it would be nice to go and do [that Cup race at Sonoma] but I don’t know if it is going to happen or not. I do this week and then I have to go back to do my Rally stuff and we’ll see if I come back.”

The original plan for Räikkönen, who has sponsorship from Perky Jerky and is being represented by the HMS Worldwide sports agency in his NASCAR effort, was to do three to five races for KBM in a truck. But team owner Kyle Busch said Friday that Raikkonen and his sponsors have only paid for the truck race last week and the Nationwide race.

“It's either up to Kimi or up to the financial people that run Kimi's business side of things and decide that they need to find the sponsorship funds in order to carry the experience for him further [with us],” Busch said.

Busch said he was pleased with Räikkönen’s debut last week – a 15th-place finish in the truck race.

“Certainly, he gave the truck a good ride,” Busch said. “It was really loose and he did a nice job with car control and everything else.”

Räikkönen said racing in traffic last week was fun and he enjoyed the NASCAR-style racing. He hopes that this weekend is a little easier for him.

“Once you do it once, you know much more how things go,” Räikkönen said. “I had no idea what we should do during [the race]. I know how to do restarts, but I didn’t know exactly how it goes because I haven’t really seen it or done it before.

“All those things I know now. It’s much easier to go for the second time.”

Source: SceneDaily.com

CUP: Räikkönen May Run Sonoma

Two-time Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen said Friday he might run next month’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway.

But Kyle Busch, who is providing two vehicles for Raikkonen’s NASCAR debut, said he is still owed money from the Finnish driver and will not be working with him going forward after this weekend unless and until he receives additional funding.

Raikkonen made his NASCAR debut last Friday night, finishing 15th in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He is entered in the Top Gear 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at CMS this weekend, piloting a Nemco Motorsports-owned Toyota built by Kyle Busch Motorsports. KBM also provided his truck last weekend.

Thursday afternoon at CMS, Raikkonen briefly met the press in a session that was announced at the last minute and lasted just 6 minutes and 29 seconds, less than half the customary time for NASCAR media availabilities.

Earlier in the week, Raikkonen tested with Robby Gordon Motorsports at Virginia International Raceway, leading to rumors he would enter the Infineon road race.

“Of course you always have it in mind to try to do it,” Raikkonen said of competing in the Cup Series. “The other thing is, is going to happen or not? I don’t know. Of course, I’m probably more keen to do road courses than ovals.”

Asked if we could consider Sonoma, Raikkonen added, “It would be nice to go and do it, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen. We’ll see what happens after this weekend. I have to go back (to Europe) and do my rally stuff.”

Busch initially said the plan was to run three to five races with Raikkonen, but that’s changed. “As far as the Sonoma race, we’ve had no discussions about Cup stuff,” Busch said. “As far as I know, this weekend is the last hurrah with Kimi.”

Asked what changed, Busch was blunt.

“What’s changed is the payment schedule,” Busch said. “The contract states we’re supposed to receive so much (money) and we have not. We’ve only received enough for these two races.”

That said, Busch has been impressed with Raikkonen’s on-track performance to date.

“I thought Kimi did a nice job last week,” Busch said. “Certainly, he gave the truck a good ride. ... He did a nice job with car control.”

As for the forecast for this weekend, Busch said, “What’s to be expected of him this weekend is certainly just to, again, try to run all the laps, try to make 300 miles in a Nationwide Series race, get a feel for what the car is like.”

Raikkonen said he will leave after the NASCAR Nationwide Series race and return to his home in Europe.

Source: Nascar.SpeedTv.com
Courtesy: miezicat

Rally more difficult to learn for Räikkönen than Nascar

Kimi Räikkönen is an inborn track-racer. That was once again proved to the whole motorsporting world when the F1-champion drove without practising his Nascar-debut in an oval race from start to finish without spinning even once during the battle.

Räikkönen will continue this new adventure next Saturday on this same Charlotte oval, but this time he will drive in Nascar's 2nd highest class Nationwide, where the powers and the drivability of the cars are something completely different than the truck-cars.

The feelings on Friday in Charlotte's track-area spoke for themself over how much the success meant for Räikkönen.

Usually you don't get Nascar-spurs in a jiffy, therefore Räikkönen's performance got the American experts to research the statistics to see how other rookies have started from truck-level.

Rookie-Räikkönen was the best of the three former F1-drivers after Nelson Piquet junior spun in the end and Max Papis crashed at an early stage.

The mechanics who took care of Räikkönen's Toyota Tundra got only speedy thanks from the driver. Räikkönen hit the wall twice but he avoided the spins, which are very common in the race.

– Kimi already left - and he was really happy, mechanics told me when searching for him.

Räikkönen was surrounded by the American media but when it was over he rushed with his trusteés to the pits where the tv was on showing San Jose's and Vancouver's hockey game.

Not normal track-racing

Räikkönen's body language spoke for itself. The man had fully enjoyed racing which ended after many phases in 15th position out of 36 drivers. At his best Räikkönen was 5th and at his lowest he was 34th.

Did the passion for track-racing come back?

– I have to say that it was really fun again. Of course this is different than what is understood by tracks. Here we drive much more closer than I'm used to. In F1 you rarely see several cars side by side, Räikkönen said.

A year ago in January Kimi Räikkönen drove rally in a WRC-car for the first time – and hit a tree during Tunturi-rally's second stage. The first race with a heavily steered Nascar-car was predicted to be as tough but still he drove without a care in the world all the 134 laps to the finish.

– It's much more difficult to start rally, Räikkönen reminded.

The safety car was sent to the track ten times all and all. It messed up all the drivers driving rhythm.

– The car started to work better the longer the stints were. It was just unfortunate that there were so many SC-incidents. After them it always took a while before the car worked as it was supposed to work. Had I got to make longer stints then the result would also have been better - and you always want to finish closer to the top.

Same brake every time

Räikkönen lost most oftenly his position especially in re-starts.

– The same car was ahead of me every single time. In re-starts it first accelerated and then braked. I couldn't get anywhere. I drove many times flat-out right into it so that it would go somewhere else, Räikkönen said.

– In the end a spin was close when I tried to overtake it and couldn't get past. I dared to go faster and faster all the time. It depends a lot on which side of the track you are - outside or inside. If you are on the inside and another one comes beside you then it can take off the air and you spin really easily.

How fast did you learn the game rules of a Nascar-race?

– It didn't take a long time. Of course it's easier the second time when you already know the rules beforehand.

New car, familiar track

Charlotte's organizers were shining out of happiness when it started to become certain that Räikkönen would drive again on Saturday on the same track in a Nationwide-race.

– A Nationwide-car has more powers and as far as I know it's better to drive. On this track it doesn't matter where you are when driving with another car.

– Of course it helps when you know the track although the car is different. It gives an advantage when you now know how you can make the re-starts in a better way. We had a good pace now too as long as I could drive a little longer, Räikkönen thanked.

Useless to try, Busch will win (in Finnish it rhimes: Turha koittaa, Busch voittaa)

Räikkönen's ICE1 Racing -team leased a Truck-car from Kyle Busch Motorsports and the same will happen with the Nationwide-car. Conveniently Busch had got himself an extra car just for Kimi's sake.

Kyle Busch won his third truck-race in a row. On top of that he starts from pole on Saturday night to hunt for the one million dollars jackpot in the all stars -race of Sprint Cup cars.

Turun Sanomat, Charlotte

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Busch to patner with Nemechek for Kimi Räikkönen's Nationwide ride

The mystery car sitting in the shop at Kyle Busch Motorsports is a mystery no more.

KBM is partnering with Joe Nemechek’s NEMCO Motorsports to put 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen in the No. 87 Toyota for next Saturday’s Top Gear 300 Nationwide Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, according to a Foxsports.com report.

KBM owner Kyle Busch dropped hints about the deal after winning Friday night’s Camping World Truck Series event at Charlotte. Busch alluded to the car in his shop, acknowledged that it was a Toyota but declined to reveal its provenance.

KBM will assemble the car Räikkönen will drive in his Nationwide debut. NEMCO will provide transporter, crew (supplemented by KBM), a backup car, and—most important—the owner points that will guarantee Räikkönen a starting spot in the race. The No. 87 currently is 19th in the owner standings, well inside the top 30 (the cutoff for a guaranteed starting spot).

Räikkönen finished 15th, on the lead lap, in his truck series debut Friday night.

Coincidentally, Busch made his Nationwide debut at Charlotte in 2003, driving a No. 87 Chevrolet owned by Joe Nemechek. Busch finished second to Matt Kenseth in the May 24, 2003 Carquest Auto Parts 300.

Source: AolSportingNews

Busch hopes that Räikkönen finishes the race

Kyle Busch didn't admit that he expected more from Kimi Räikkönen in Charlotte's Truck-practice, but the team owner didn't look very pleased after he had a meeting with the Finnish driver when the second practice session had ended.

– Kimi made a big impression on tests in Gresham and Rockingham. He drove really well. Now we had to get him on a racing track and it didn't help at all that we use different tyres than we used during the last couple of times, Busch said to Turun Sanomat.

What does Busch expect from Räikkönen in Friday night's race?

– That he drives all laps, Busch said.

Räikkönen himself didn't hide that the practice laps didn't go the way he wished. Actually only the last lap went well when the team got something right in the car.

– Hopefully the qualification and race goes better. One has to know where to put the car on this track in order to find the best driving lines. That knowledge comes only after laps and experience.

– There wasn't as much traffic as I expected. So I didn't get to learn that either. The car didn't behave the way I wanted, Räikkönen complained.

Turun Sanomat, Charlotte

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

Kimi Räikkönen Makes NASCAR Debut For Kyle Busch Motorsports

Former Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen made his NASCAR debut Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, taking the wheel of the No. 15 truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Running 30th in both practice sessions, Räikkönen was unhappy with the day's progress but knew there would be a major learning curve in NASCAR.

“Since I stopped in Formula 1, my interests have always been in many different motorsports,” Räikkönen said. “I want to try different things and this wasn’t the first time that I have been offered to come here. I had a good time to come and see how it is and learn and try to get better in it. That’s really the only reason that I came. I was interested to see how it is and how it feels and how it is racing in NASCAR.”

Making his debut this weekend in Charlotte, Räikkönen said he had no further plans set in place, but hopes to get a chance to run some Sprint Cup Series races if all goes well.

“I don’t have big plans – I don’t have any plans for next year or anything of what I do,” he said. “I see how it is because I didn’t have any expectations when I came here. It’s a bit like when I went to rally (cars) – I didn’t have much expectation, I wanted to see how it is.

"It’s the same story here. For sure, it’s a different sport. Different type of racing than what we have in Europe. It’s very popular here and maybe it looks easy, but it’s not so easy to be fast. We’ll see how it goes and what the future will bring. We go step-by-step and see what happens.”

Friday’s practice sessions reinforced that sentiment, as he struggled to find a handle on the No. 15 truck.

“Wasn’t very good day, but we have to start from somewhere,” Räikkönen said. “Improve hopefully in qualifying and in the race we can do a bit better. Of course there’s a lot of things to know what you want from the car. It looks quite similar, the circuits here, but it’s not. You have to learn all the best things on every circuit and what you can do and the best lines. That really comes with the knowledge and experience. We try to survive through the day and try to do the best that we can and hopefully we are much more smarter and we know more things after that.

“I hoped to have a little bit more during the practice, but the handling of the car was not what I wanted and at the end it was a bit better. I’m still not happy, but it would be nice to still have some more practice. It is what it is and it will be interesting to see how it goes in the race because that is really the first time now that you have some cars beside you and you can go and overtake some guys. It is a different thing once we go all together in the start and the first laps. We have to learn it and hopefully it goes smoothly.”

Throughout the days two practice sessions, Räikkönen was able to talk things over with team owner Kyle Busch between track time.

“Expectations for Kimi tonight are pretty simple,” Busch said. “Just try to get him to run all the laps, try to get him to gain some experience, get him out there around some other trucks. Try to drive the truck a little harder and get a feel for it. Feel the loose, feel the tight. Apparently we’ve already given him both of those, but to be able to get him to feel that in traffic and race around some other guys and see if he can’t make his way forward. Essentially, just try to complete all the laps and get experience.”

Running rally cars in Europe, Räikkönen is making NASCAR attempts as it fits into his schedule.

“I have always planned to do the rally this year so this is really when I have time, but the NASCAR I wanted to see how it is, how it feels, how I do here,” he said. “So I mean if I completely suck here, there’s probably no reason to come back, but hopefully it goes better than today. I mean, I don’t know yet. Like I said, we go day-by-day and see how it goes and what comes in the future it comes. Like I said, I have no plans for next year so it’s too early to think about it.”

Indicating his plans are to run this weekend and next weekend, Raikonnen left the door open for a Nationwide Series start as the Camping World Truck Series has the weekend off. Busch said his team would be unable to field Räikkönen in the Nationwide Series race next week as his team does not have a Nationwide license and his crew members are not licensed to work in the Nationwide Series, “so it would have to be with somebody else.”

Courtesy: Kriss

Paula-Mom was nervous for Kimi's sake on the spot

Kimi Räikkönen's Nascar-debut on Friday brought a lot of people who normally don't follow these races to Charlotte's media-premises .

That didn't surprise Räikkönen or his background group, but even the driver was astonished when his mother Paula together with her friends showed up at the place to cheer for him.

– We just wanted to suprise Kimi and didn't tell him anything about our plans beforehand, Paula Räikkönen told in Kyle Busch Motosports' truck pit.

The last time mother Räikkönen has been abroad following Kimi's races has been during his F1-times.

– It's different when you sit in the car and there aren't mechanics around to fasten the seat belt, they have to do everything themself.

Before morning practice Räikkönen, like the other rookies, took a course of what they can expect in different situations on this special track and how they should react to different situations.

– Can you imagine how it felt for me to talk to a guy who is a world champion about these kinds of basic things, Austin Dillon, the teacher said.

The 21-year old youngster is one of Nascar's rising names. His grandfather is Richard Childress, who again is the owner of the legendary Dale Earnhardt Senior -team.

Turun Sanomat, Charlotte

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

TRUCKS: Räikkönen Prepping For NASCAR Debut

Kyle Busch Motorsports officials are confident that Kimi Räikkönen is ready to compete in the Camping World Truck Series...

Kimi Räikkönen has not been sitting idle since it was announced on April 2 that he would compete in the No. 15 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra in Friday’s N.C. Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After the 31-year-old former Formula One champion performed a two-day test last month at Gresham Motorsports Park followed by a half-day test Rockingham, KBM officials felt confident that Räikkönen would be ready to compete in the Camping World Truck Series.

“He did a tremendous job,” said crew chief Eric Phillips. “It took him an hour or two at Gresham to get up to speed but when we got to Rockingham, after four laps he was faster than when we’d been there testing with Brian (Ickler) or Taylor (Malsam) last year. So me and Rick (KBM General Manager) were really impressed.”

During last month’s tests, the team worked with chassis adjustments, various shock packages and air pressure changes as the driver acclimated to the truck first on the half-mile track and then at the 1.017-mile speedway at the Rock.

“It was a lot of fun, I really had no expectations or anything to compare it to beforehand but at the end of the day, I am really looking forward to the first race,” said Raikkonen in a team release. “It seems like KBM is a top team and I am excited to work with them.”

KBM also sent Räikkönen additional materials, including videos of earlier races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, to expedite his learning curve in a truck.

“I believe we also sent him a few in-car cameras so he can watch and get used to listening how throttle control was, how much you’re on the gas, how to race people and sometimes what happens when you’re side by side with guys,” Kyle Busch said. “I think I won the truck race there last year and the year before (Ron) Hornaday and I battled it out and we ended up spinning or something. He’ll get a good view of what to expect ... with some in-car camera stuff.

“When he gets back to the States, he’ll go over the NASCAR R&D Center and sit down with those guys and get an explanation of the drivers’ meeting -- the long version of the drivers meeting, the one that tells you all about double file, passing the pace on the wave around, the long version so he can get an idea of how everything works. That’s pretty much it.”

While it was the hope that Räikkönen would visit the NASCAR R&D Center, his schedule might not permit it. NASCAR senior director of communications for competition Kerry Tharp said the sanctioning body was simply extending an invitation and there was nothing required of the driver before the race.

Although there are 43 entries for the truck race and only 36 positions, Busch said driving the truck “is pretty simple, like anything else.” Busch should know. He won the race from the pole last year in his own equipment. It was Busch’s third win and third pole in a truck at Charlotte.

“As far as the truck goes, it’s like any of the other trucks that we have,” Busch said. “We had one in the stable and we’ve been working on it for two months now, probably, ever since we’ve known. We’ve been fine-tuning on it and getting ready along with my truck for Charlotte.”

Source: FOXSports.com - Speedtv

Racing roundup: NASCAR awaits Kimi

WEEKEND HEADLINES:

1. Matt Kenseth off to great NASCAR start

2. Kimi’s NASCAR debut coming Friday

3. Rain stops Indy practice; Canadian results

Kimi Räikkönen to make NASCAR debut

Almost lost in the shuffle of the weekend’s racing, and still only getting a 15-second mention here or a brief mention there, is the fact that Kimi Räikkönen will be making his NASCAR debut this Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a NASCAR Camping World Series pickup truck race.

That’s right. You did not read that incorrectly.

Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 World Driving Champion, will race a truck for Kyle Busch’s team at Charlotte on Friday night and, if you’re interested, you can watch him either acquit himself as you would expect an F1 champion to do, or else make a fool of himself.

It could go either way.

Kyle Busch has been quoted as saying that he’s honoured Räikkönen chose his team for his NASCAR debut and that the ex-F1 star was "adamant" about running his first race at Charlotte.

I suppose it makes sense. If you’ve never done this sort of thing before – as was the case with another ex-F1 champ, our own Jacques Villeneuve – then the truck series is a good entry point. The trucks are built for safety and don’t go as fast as the Nationwide or Sprint Cup racing cars.

And since next weekend is the All-Star Weekend in Charlotte,, why shouldn’t a star take centre stage Friday night while all the other stars of NASCAR are also in town for their race Saturday.

I suggest Räikkönen will probably keep a low profile and drive to survive. If he makes it to the finish without crashing – a trick whenever the trucks race – he’ll consider it a success and start plotting a career change.

If he doesn’t finish, and doesn’t enjoy himself (as in, he’s piled up or winds up in one), it’s quite possible he’ll chalk it up to experience and move on back to Europe.

Whichever, it will be fun to watch. The truck race can be seen on SPEED Friday night at 8 o’clock.

Source: Auto Racing Blog
Courtesy: luieluv

TRUCKS: Much Anticipation Surrounding Räikkönen Debut

History will be made as Kimi Räikkönen becomes the first F1 champion to race at Charlotte Motor Speedway...

Fans in attendance at the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will have a chance to witness history as 2007 Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen will make his NASCAR debut, May 20, at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race will mark the first time in the speedway's 52-year history that a former champion from Formula One, arguably the top open-wheeled series in the world, will compete in a NASCAR event.

The 31-year-old Finnish driver follows in the footsteps of world champions Mario Andretti, Jimmy Clark and Jacques Villeneuve as the only Formula One champions to ever make the transition to NASCAR.

While Andretti competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway, it was 11 years before he captured the Formula One crown in 1978. Villeneuve won the title in 1997, then went on to compete in 13 NASCAR races across the top three national touring series, but never tested his skills at Charlotte. Clark won two championships in 1963 and 1965, but only made the trip over to the United States for one race at Rockingham Speedway in 1967.

Räikkönen, who is considered to be one of the top drivers in the world, left Formula One and the iconic Ferrari factory team after the 2009 season and has been competing in the World Rally Championship since that time. Now he has teamed up with one of the hottest drivers in NASCAR, Kyle Busch, at Kyle Busch Motorsports.

"We're honored that Kimi has chosen to start his career in NASCAR with us," Busch said earlier this year. "Adding one of the most talented drivers in the world is a continuation of building a team of proven winners and champions at KBM."

Adding to the intrigue of the international star coming over from Europe is the fact that he hand-picked Charlotte Motor Speedway for his first race.

"He was adamant about Charlotte and running that race. It will be good for him to get his feet wet," said Busch.

Source: Nascar.SpeedTv
Courtesy: sleenster

Kimi could have drove the whole Nascar-season

Kimi Räikkönen told that he could have drove the whole Nascar-serie already this season.

He starts from the Truck-serie and will see after a couple of races if he will go to Nationwide- or Sprint Cup -series in the future. Räikkönen has agreed upon driving 3-5 races with the team owned by Kyle Busch.

- I could have raced the whole serie this year also if I would have wanted but there are unnecessarily many races for that. Let's just drive what we have agreed upon and see what happens next year, Räikkönen tells MTV3.

- It will become interesting when you start racing with others. I guess it will take it's own time before getting used to not really seeing anything at all to the sides, Kimi says.

- America is quite different. The going is at times quite funny too because they have a completely different approach to the whole motorsport. It's quite laidback in the final games although I've just seen it. It was a funny experience already in the beginning, Kimi smiles.

MTV3 - Antti Rämänen, Anette Latva-Piikkilä
Courtesy: Nicole

Manager outlines Räikkönen’s racing plans

Kimi Räikkönen’s current racing agenda has been outlined to GPUpdate.net this week by the Finn’s long-term manager, Steve Robertson. The 18-time Grand Prix winner is currently contesting the World Rally Championship (WRC) with ICE 1 Racing and will continue to do so while embarking on his new NASCAR ambitions.

The ex-Sauber, McLaren and Ferrari Formula 1 driver signed a deal with Kyle Busch Motorsports earlier in April to compete in the NASCAR Truck Series and Robertson has explained that, if Räikkönen’s selected races prove enjoyable throughout the season, the 31-year-old could commit himself to the sport.

"He’s got a plan for this year, so he’s doing some races this year in the trucks and also the Nationwide cars," Robertson told GPUpdate.net.

"That’s happening very, very soon. Obviously he’s got a pretty heavy programme with WRC as well and he’s going to combine the both, which is not so easy to do, but that’s what he wants to do.

"But (his move to NASCAR is) with a view for possibly 2012 and 2013, but he wants to see if he enjoys it first before he makes a decision as to what he does."

Source: GPUpdate.net

NASCAR: Fans will struggle to identify with Räikkönen

Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway, you will hear cheering for Kyle, Jimmie, Jeff, Mark and even a Junior — names that roll off the tongue of NASCAR fans everywhere.

You won’t be treated to Kimi. Although, that may be coming soon.

Sounds more like a piece of fruit than a racecar driver. No, wait, that is Kiwi. Anyway, it definitely isn’t the name of a driver you picture fans chanting across the south, which still has the largest concentration of NASCAR diehards.

But the unconventional, or the fact that Kimi Raikkonen is from the NASCAR-rich hub of Finland, won’t stop him from making his national series debut, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) in the Camping World Truck Series event at Charlotte May 20.

Whatever the case, Mr. Räikkönen and NASCAR is a mix that doesn’t make sense.

Räikkönen being able to put both feet in the NASCAR pool shows how this sport has changed. It’s also part of the reason that the United States’ most popular series has lost touch with its fan base and seen its popularity plummet of late.

It’s no longer about talent, carving out good results. It’s about the dollars you bring to the table and how much you can offer a team monetarily.

Credit Kyle Busch for falling into a pit of money, because that is the only reason Raikkonen is able to buy his way into this series.

Busch needs sponsorship dollars for KBM, and what better way to turn the bottom line in your favor than to find a driver that brings bags of money?

This ride wasn’t earned. It was bought, a sad truth and reality that has faced NASCAR racing in the last 10 years.

It’s how drivers advance. Not by accomplishments, but more through the wallet. It’s also how drivers like Elliott Sadler kept a ride in the Sprint Cup Series so long. Really, do you think he would have been with the No. 38 team if not for the M&M/Mars tag?

Isn’t it ironic that when Sadler’s deal with the candy conglomerate was up, he went and those multi-colored milk chocolates stayed?

Hey, we get it. We don’t like the economics of the sport, but we accept them. It’s just the way it is in the racing world.

But fans don’t get it, and shouldn’t.

Look at the influx of foreigners who suddenly want to be part of the fold. Those trying to sell Raikkonen in the same cloth as Juan Pablo Montoya are off the mark. They are totally different scenarios.

Montoya was already part of Chip Ganassi Racing. He spent time in the Indy Racing League and won its premier event, the Indy 500. Where Räikkönen is a newbie, Montoya was already an established North American entity.

And how is that dominant foreign influence helping IRL? It’s not. Instead, it has hurt the popularity in the eyes of race fans who want to see American drivers prosper. Hurting your status and reputation is something NASCAR can’t afford.

We’re not saying Räikkönen isn’t an unbelievable talent; he is. The Finnish standout is young, good-looking and can drive anything with four wheels and probably anything with two or one. Problem is, fans will have trouble identifying with him.

No doubt, there is a group of dignitaries in the NASCAR head office that are grinning ear-to-ear with glee over Räikkönen’s arrival — another chance to further NASCAR’s reach.

But in reality, this move can only benefit Raikkonen’s global appeal and KBM, who is already looking to start a full-time Nationwide team, most likely on their new star’s dime.

As for NASCAR, it can do more harm than good by sending the wrong message to fans and other drivers looking to make their mark the old fashioned way: through hard work.

So far, the racing has been pretty good this season. Crowds are up, allegedly, and television ratings are better than a year ago. There has even been a spark of excitement.

There have been plenty of positives already this season. This, unfortunately, isn’t one of them

Source: pennlive.com

Former F1 champ Kimi Räikkönen tests Kyle Busch truck, already has sights on Cup, Nationwide races

Former Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen tested a Kyle Busch Motorsports truck today at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway and already has talked to team owner Kyle Busch about running Nationwide and Sprint Cup events.

The 31-year-old Finnish driver, who currently competes full time in the World Rally Championship after a nine-year F1 career that included his 2007 championship while driving for Ferrari, tested Monday and Tuesday at Gresham (Ga.) Motorsports Park.

An international star with 18 career F1 victories, Raikkonen has sponsorship from Perky Jerky beef jerky for his NASCAR races and several international companies as personal sponsors – making the Cup talk more than just a driver fantasy.

But his only signed deal as of today, according to sources, is with KBM for an unspecified number of truck races. The first will come May 20 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the plan likely is to run three to five races.

“He has asked after the truck debut in Charlotte, which is what our first focus is, to kind of evaluate and see where he’s at and how he feels and what he wants to do,” Busch said Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway.

“He has asked about Nationwide and Cup and if Kyle Busch Motorsports could do that or where would be the best place to do that. He wants to re-evaluate all that once we get past Charlotte.”

Raikkonen is a Red Bull athlete but Red Bull Racing has not had any conversations with him about competing in NASCAR, team general manager Jay Frye said Friday. He has talked with other Cup teams, according to sources. The most likely place for a Cup debut would be at the road course at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. in June.

KBM might be able to field a Nationwide car for Raikkonen, but a Cup program likely would be a stretch for Busch’s organization.

“We just said we would evaluate,” Busch said about what he told Raikkonen when asked about doing Nationwide or Cup. “I’ve told everybody here that KBM would like to go to Nationwide. We would like to have a full-time Nationwide team next year. In order to work towards that, you would work towards that this year.

“If it came to be the right situation and we could get cars built or get cars from JGR, it would all be a tell-tale thing, so we’ll just have to wait and see. Right now, our focus is on Charlotte and the truck race there and making sure we get the right stuff under Kimi that he can run well there.

” As far as the tests in the last few days, Busch said Räikkönen has had no problem going fast in the truck.

“The test went really well at Gresham,” Busch said. “Kimi is a race-car driver so he does know how to drive race cars and drive them well. … I got to get in the truck myself and ran some laps just to kind of see where I compared to where he was at on tires and stuff, and we ran identical lap times.

“So he’s right there. He knows what he’s doing.”

Part of the test at Gresham was to get Räikkönen used to the intricacies of NASCAR racing.

“It was just kind of getting his feet used to running caution laps, running down pit road, watching the lights on the tach and how all that goes and then working on some restart stuff and getting him accustomed to coming up through the gears quick and not spinning the tires on restarts,” Busch said. “There are still some things that we’d like to work on a little bit more, but we don’t feel like there’s any time before he gets back [for the race].

“They were in Rockingham [Thursday] with our trucks, and he did good again. He ran a lot better than we expected to run there, a lot faster than we expected to run there. So I’m real happy with it.”

Source: SceneDaily
Courtesy: Miezicat

Räikkönen's NASCAR-tests continue on Thursday

The crowned king of track-racing, Kimi Räikkönen, drove for the first time in his life two days on an American oval track and he will continue his adventure by testing Kyle Busch Motosports -team's Toyota Tundra on Thursday.

Räikkönen circled on Monday and Tuesday 400 times the half mile oval in Gresham. He has now about 320 km experience of the Camping World Truck -car. The laptimes have been solid and the driver's professionality has now come to its own.

What is driving on ovals like?

– New and different, Räikkönen tells Turun Sanomat shortly not wanting to explain it more.

Räikkönen's ICE1 Racing -team has leased a truck from the leading KBM-team only for Charlotte's race on 20th May. According to Kyle Busch they have been negotiating about 3-5 truck-class races with Räikkönen's representatives.

In practice everything is wide open and Räikkönen's own feeling will decide how he will start developing his NASCAR-career.

Different setup-work

The first testing session is purely an experiment to understand driving on ovals. To find setups for corners that continuously turn in the same direction on a track with inclination is also very unusual when comparing to European track-classes.

– This offers Kimi an interesting new world and a completely new challenge. The most important thing is now to proceed with patience, Räikkönen's spokesman Riku Kuvaja said.

– NASCAR is a really huge and very professionally run show, Kuvaja emphasises.

Kyle Busch announced last Saturday in Martinsville Speedway NASCAR-race that he has done a deal with Räikkönen's ICE1 Racing over a selected race schedule in Camping World Truck Series.

Rally notes already on Monday

After the tests are over Räikkönen will return to Europe and go to the Middle-East because Jordan's WRC-rally is next week. He starts making pace notes on Monday, the rally takes off on Wednesday and ends on Saturday.

After Jordan Räikkönen skips Sardinia's and Argentina's rallies. This way he has time to concentrate on his NASCAR-debut.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole

The oval test spiked up Räikkönen's urges to compete

Kimi Räikkönen tamed quickly his new NASCAR-serie's worktool Toyota Tundra -truck car in his first test on Gresham Motosports Park's short oval track.

Räikkönen drove over 400 laps during two days on a half mile oval and got solid laptimes when compared to previous tests on the track.

The Finn worked with Kyle Busch Motorsports -team and Toyota's engineers. They had scheduled different setup- and tyre-tests in order to get Räikkönen familiarized with this completely different racing car that the European driver didn't know from before.

– It has been great. I came here and didn't have any expectations beforehand because I had nothing to compare it with. I seems like Kyle Busch Motorsports is a top team and it's exciting to work with them. I am waiting to get to race with this car, Räikkönen said in his press release this morning.

- On one hand I'm not amazed at all when knowing Kimi's wide exprecience and his championship-level. Yet on the other hand I'm very happily surprised over what I saw, Ren said.

Turun Sanomat

HEIKKI KULTA

Courtesy: Nicole