Raikkonen will help drive NASCAR international appeal
"I am really excited to have the opportunity to start my venture into NASCAR with Kyle Busch Motorsports," Raikkonen said. "Kyle is one of the best in NASCAR and being able to draw on his knowledge will be a valuable asset as I make my transition to a new form of racing."
NASCAR has seen an influx of ex-F1 drivers in recent years, starting with Juan Pablo Montoya in 2006. Scott Speed arrived in Trucks in 2008 and made it to Cup by the next season. Jacques Villeneuve has made cameo appearances since 2007, but hasn't been able find the sponsorship for a full-time job in any of the three touring series. Nelson Piquet Jr. is running full-time in Trucks this year and Narain Karthikeyan ran nine Truck races last year.
So, what's the big deal about Raikkonen? He was F1 world champion in 2007. The last F1 world champion to race full-time in an American-based series was Nigel Mansell in CART's Champ Cars in 1993 and 1994. Mansell arrived as the world champion and sent international interest in the series soaring. He took CART global, expanding the television market and ratings and establishing it as a viable alternative to F1 for race promoters. In the next few years, even after Mansell departed to return to F1, CART was signing lucrative deals in Brazil and Japan. With massive television numbers in the global marketplace, sponsorship poured into CART.
NASCAR understands the value of an international television following. The Mansell model and the addition of Montoya has verified it.
That said, NASCAR has an approval process to allow drivers on the track and it's fairly stringent. The committee doesn't announce it, but it turns drivers down on a fairly regular basis. It's a process that typically begins with a driver being approved for a short track in the Truck series and then advancing to bigger tracks and eventually to the Nationwide and Cup series.
The committee has approved Raikkonen for Charlotte, which is surprising. It's 1.5 miles, big, fast and dangerous. The committee places a high value on him being an F1 champion, and they should; he's one of the world's greatest race car drivers. But it's also a deviation from the usual thought process, made to accommodate Raikkonen's schedule in the World Rally Championship. Montoya, for example, began his NASCAR career at .75-mile Memphis. NASCAR understands that a driver of Raikkonen's magnitude could deliver massive worldwide ratings, offset the shrinking domestic numbers and keep global brand sponsors such as FedEx, Shell, Red Bull and many others happy.
Montoya has had a spectacular career: He was the Indy 500 champion in 2000; he picked up six victories in F1 from 2001 to 2006; and he experienced success in Cup that includes two wins and a Chase appearance in 2009. He has fans everywhere and says they've followed him to Cup.
"People are watching," Montoya said. "When I came over, people started paying attention to how I ran and I think a lot of people got hooked on it. I still receive e-mails from people from Formula 1 [that read] good luck in the race, great qualifying.
"It's like, 'Oh, you're paying attention.' That is surprising."
Montoya takes take all the credit for NASCAR's international appeal. "I think maybe if you would get the numbers of how many people internationally are watching these races, not only in America, but in Europe and Asia, I think you would shock yourself," he said. "I think they are pretty amazing." More at SI.com