Despite Not Being “Excited”, Kyle Busch Brushes Aside NASCAR-F1 Rivalry to Pay Classy Welcome to Jenson Button & Kimi Raikkonen

Almost every discussion around NASCAR and F1 ends up turning into a heated debate about which one is better. That, apparently, happens among fans of both sports only. Because drivers who love racing clearly do not mind participating in either. And apparently, they enjoy both enough to keep coming back to the track. Former F1 world champions Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button are about to participate in NASCAR this year. Seasoned campaigner and team owner Kyle Busch has nothing but the best of wishes for the retired F1 duo.

Kimi participated in a one-off race last year at Glenn Watkins that did not go as per plan. The Iceman got entangled in a pileup that cut his run short and left him with a bruised wrist. That, however, hasn’t deterred him from coming back to the Series; he’ll drive for Trackhouse Racing this time around. His former F1 grid mate Jenson Button will join him in the Series as well. This will be Jenson’s first time racing in NASCAR.

Busch welcomed them both with kind words at his recent press conference. Speaking at the Pheonix press conference, Kyle said, “I hope Kimi (Räikkönen) gets a better opportunity than he had his last time out; going out there and running a full race. But I think it’s fun. I think it’s great that they have that opportunity. Trackhouse won that race last year, so you know they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. The SHR guys, I think are doing the No. 15 ride for Jenson (Button) It’s cool to see the diversity of different backgrounds of drivers and where they come from.”

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Despite the warm welcome, Busch wasn’t too excited. He felt that the intensity of NASCAR could catch the former F1 drivers by surprise.

A contact sport like NASCAR could surprise Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen- Kyle Busch

Drivers going into the wall, crashing into each other, and taking each other out with the intention of not giving their rivals an inch of tarmac is one of the main highlights of NASCAR. The concept, if not alien, is definitely not a common occurrence in F1. Kimi found that out last year and Jenson definitely will in 2023. The prospect of that happening does not excite Kyle too much.

“I’m not excited, but it’s going to be cool to have them out there and be a part of our show. They’re not used to the full contact sport of what NASCAR is. I’m sure Kimi’s eyes were opened quite a bit on how all that went down at Watkins Glen. But he’s more ready and more prepared this time around,” he told.

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Kimi and Jenson will face off against each other at COTA where Button will make his NASCAR debut. The venue is also particularly dear to Raikkonen given that it was the last place he won an F1 Grand Prix last while still racing for Ferrari.