[北美賽車比賽] RAIKKONEN TO MAKE NASCAR DEBUT NEXT MONTH

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Charlotte, NC (Sports Network) - Former Formula One world championKimi Raikkonen has revealed his plans to compete in NASCAR, beginningnext month.
According to Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper, Raikkonen, the 2007F1 titleholder, will juggle his 2011 racing schedule between the WorldRally Championship and the Camping World Truck Series. The 31-year-oldFinn has been approved by NASCAR to compete in the May 20 truck race atCharlotte Motor Speedway.
"I'm really looking forward to get there to familiarize to the worldof NASCAR," Raikkonen told the Finnish newspaper. "I have beenfollowing it for a long time. I know it's a very tough and open topracing series. I just love the American spirit of racing. It feels justgreat to get involved with that. Obviously, it will be very challengingand great fun for me."
Raikkonen will field a truck series entry with his new team calledICE 1 Racing. He has been nicknamed "The Iceman" throughout his racingcareer. Foster Gillett, a former managing partner with Richard PettyMotorsports in Sprint Cup, will serve as co-owner of Raikkonen's NASCARteam.
It's not known how many truck races, or possibly events in theSprint Cup and Nationwide Series, Raikkonen will enter this season.
Raikkonen will join a slew of F1 drivers who have moved over toNASCAR in the past several years. His former McLaren teammate, JuanPablo Montoya, made his first NASCAR start in 2006. Both Nelson PiquetJr. and Narain Karthikeyan made the switch last year.
In December 2009, Raikkonen departed F1 and joined Citroen's RedBull-backed junior team in WRC. He drove for Ferrari from 2007-09.

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Kimi Raikkonen says he enjoyed his first NASCAR experience after testing this week for Kyle Busch Motorsports for the first time.

According to Raikkonen's ICE1 Racing group, the Finn completed over 400 laps at the half-mile Gresham Motorsports Park oval, working with KBM's engineers on various setup adjustments to familiarize himself with his new technical environment.

"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. "It seems like KBM is a top team and I am excited to work with them."

Kyle Busch was on hand to see the progress of the 2007 Formula 1 World Champion, who left a great impression on the team on what was his first run in a stock car, and also his maiden outing on an oval.

"On one hand, I am obviously not surprised at all with the type of experience Kimi has and his championship pedigree," said Kyle Busch Motorsports general manager Rick Ren. "But, on the other hand, I am very pleasantly surprised."

Although the team initially announced last Saturday that it had signed Raikkonen himself, ICE1 Racing now says it has entered into a partnership with KBM to run a limited race schedule for the Finn in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, starting on May 20 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Perky Jerky was announced as a sponsor of Raikkonen for his NASCAR foray. Last October, the same brand had been announced as a sponsor for Richard Petty Motorsports, while the team was still under ownership from George Gillett Jr. His son Foster was linked to Raikkonen's NASCAR move initially, but Kyle Busch denied last weekend at Martinsville having any contact with him to put Raikkonen's deal in place.