WORLD NEWS | Former F1 champ Button to play 3 NASCAR races starting in Texas

NEW YORK, March 10 (AP) – Jenson Button will make his NASCAR debut later this month at the Tour of the Americas, part of a three-race Cup series scheduled for the former Formula One world champion. First round.

Button brings the two former F1 champions to the March 26 race at the permanent road circuit in Austin, Texas. Kimi Räikkönen announced on Wednesday that he will be racing Trackhouse Racing there.

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“Two F1 world champions in NASCAR. Who would have expected that?” Button told The Associated Press. “A lot of people think I’m crazy for doing it because it’s so different, but that’s why I like the challenge of it. For me, it’s not about how fast the car is, it’s about how close the race is.

“In a cup series, the game has been fantastic. It’s definitely a shock to the system, so to speak, but hopefully it will help me be more competitive the next time I do it.”

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Button completed his three-race deal with the backing of longtime partner Mobil 1, which paired him with Stewart-Haas Racing for marketing and promotional support. Mobil 1 has a longstanding relationship with SHR co-owner Tony Stewart.

Button will drive the No. 15 Mobil 1 Mustang for Rick Ware Racing—an arrangement similar to how SHR worked with Ware’s team a year ago, putting then-reserve driver Ryan Preece in two Cup races.

Button also plans to compete in NASCAR’s inaugural street race, scheduled for July in downtown Chicago, and a road race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August. Rick Ware Racing will be the listing team for all three of Button’s entries.

Although he has been announced as one of NASCAR’s special entry drivers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Button told The Associated Press that his three-race road race deal has nothing to do with the Garage 56 project. Instead, he said it stemmed from his love of NASCAR, which he must have developed after watching the movie Thunderbolt in 1990.

“I’m not going to show NASCAR on TV in the UK. We have four channels, but we definitely don’t have NASCAR,” Button said. “I hate most racing movies, but as a 10 year old I loved that one, it was so good. Like, this is what I want to be a part of! But because it’s so far from America, it’s never going to be for me .”

Or so he thought.

The 2009 F1 champion Button ended his 17-year career after the 2016 season, turning to TV roles and occasional race series. He raced a sports car in the GT500 class of the Japanese Super GT Series, which he won in 2018, and competed in five races in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2019 Baja 1000.

He’s done some karting recently, but his last race is GP3 in 2020. His last F1 race was in 2017, when he replaced Fernando Alonso, who skipped the Monaco Grand Prix to enter the Indianapolis 500.

Almost all of Button’s races have been backed by Mobil 1, the sponsor of 14 of his 15 career F1 victories and the Super GT title. Bored and eager to give NASCAR a chance, he asked if Mobil 1 was anything to go by.

An existing relationship with Stewart made this possible.

“We are delighted to celebrate Jenson Button’s debut in the NASCAR Cup Series and support him in realizing one of his racing dreams,” said Rob Shearer, representing Mobil 1. “We are driven by a love of driving and are committed to helping more people get behind the wheel, no matter where they are.”

Stewart, a multi-disciplinary racer with titles in NASCAR, IndyCar and sprint racing, is excited to see Button try his hand at the new series. Stewart, who turns 52 in May, will compete in a full season of NHRA drag racing this year.

Barton, who turns 43 in January, has represented Mobil 1 with Stewart in various crossover promotions over the years.

“Trying a new racing discipline is always a challenge, and the best thing you can bring to a new opportunity like this is an open mind,” Stewart said. “Jenson has done that throughout his career. Those F1 cars improve every year, Jenson always finds a way to adapt, and when he gets out of F1, jumps in a sports car and wins another championship.

“He’s new to NASCAR, but he’s no stranger to racing. It’s going to be fun for all of us, and we’re so grateful to Mobil 1 for making it happen.” AP AM

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)