The long wait for F1 fans to once again watch Jenson Button setting the track on fire is almost over. The 2009 F1 world champion earlier announced his NASCAR entry for 3 races, the first of which will begin at COTA. Jenson is growing anxious with each passing day as the race day approaches. The Briton fired a warning to the rest of the grid for the race set to take place this Sunday.
Another man who will be anxious to improve his tally at COTA is none other than Bubba Wallace himself. The 2022 Kansas Speedway winner had a forgettable run at the Atlanta race where he finished 27th. He later took to Twitter to admit a “rookie mistake” but fans rallied him on with inspiring messages. Wallace will surely look to bounce back to get a better result at COTA. However, he will have the added challenge of overcoming the former F1 champion.
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Expressing his excitement for the race this weekend, Button took to Instagram to post a video of some on-track action. In the post’s caption, he wrote, “It’s race week!! Pick a line any line! 😳 @nascar at @nascaratcota this weekend, looking forward to giving it a little nudge 😉.”
Jenson Button is not the only F1 veteran who will take to the NASCAR stage at COTA. Another former F1 world champion, Kimi Raikkonen, will join him on the track, driving the No. 91 Onx/iLOQ Chevrolet Camaro for the Trackhouse crew.
Jenson Button excited to once again take on Kimi Raikkonen
Raikkonen is no stranger to NASCAR, unlike Button. The Iceman raced at Watkins Glen last year, but the outing did not go as planned. Raikkonen got entangled in a pile-up ahead of him, which left him with an injury to his wrist. Later, when asked if he would return to the Series, he told he was unsure. But it seems like he missed the on-track thrill and is now ready to make a comeback.
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Expressing his excitement to race alongside Raikkonen once again, Crash quoted Jenson as saying, “Two F1 world champions in a NASCAR race. Who would have ever predicted that?”
“A lot of people think I’m crazy for doing this because it’s so different, but that’s why I love the challenge of it. For me, it’s not about how quick the car is, it’s about how close the racing can be. In the Cup Series, the racing is awesome. It’s definitely going to be a shock to the system, but a toe in the water, so to speak, and hopefully help me be more competitive the next time I do it.”
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Where do you think the two former F1 champs will finish? Is there any chance they’ll be able to challenge the likes of Bubba Wallace? Drop your predictions in the comments.