Throwback: When F1 Champion Kimi Raikkonen Impressed Kyle Busch in his Truck Series Debut

Following the 2009 Formula One season, Kimi Raikkonen took a hiatus. Aside from rallying, the Finnish veteran also took part in one NASCAR Truck series race. The 2007 world champion joined the Kyle Busch Motorsports team, and he garnered a bit of attention from team owner Kyle Busch himself.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had plenty of positive feedback for his newest signing in the pre-season test. At the Texas Motor Speedway, Busch noted that Raikkonen banged in some lap times that could give him a run for his money.

“I got in the truck myself and ran some laps to see how 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,” said Busch.

The #18 driver also spoke about how the team got the Finn used to various procedures. This included caution laps, pit road and other such intricacies. Raikkonen also focused on getting his restarts, gear changes and not getting wheelspin on the restarts.

What else did Kyle Busch say about Kimi Raikkonen?

Raikkonen also proved that he was not a flash in the pan at a Rockingham test. According to Kyle Busch, the Finnish driver exceeded the team’s expectations. Naturally, the driver/owner was thrilled with how things were progressing.

However, Busch revealed that he and the team were not in any discussions about Nationwide and Cup gigs. So far, Kimi Raikkonen had asked about the team objectives after his truck debut in Charlotte. In light of that, the KBM team wanted to evaluate his performance, his future.

In the end, Kimi Raikkonen finished 15th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Truck Series. Meanwhile, in the Nationwide Series, the 2007 world champion could only muster 27th fastest, once again at Charlotte.