Former Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen saw his NASCAR Cup Series debut come to an early conclusion on Sunday after a final-stage crash at Watkins Glen International.
Räikkönen’s day in the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet ended just before the halfway mark of the race after he got jammed up in the bus-stop chicane on Lap 44 of the 90-lap race. The Iceman was on the receiving end of contact and was pushed into the tire barrier.
The damage to the No. 91 was enough to end Räikkönen’s debut race. He finished 37th.
“I had a good line there … unfortunately I had no time to react,” Raikkonen told NBC Sports’ Parker Kligerman. “The first impact, somebody hit the tire or the wheels directly and the wheels spun.”
Räikkönen, the 2007 F1 champion, began the afternoon in 27th following Saturday’s qualifying session. He ran as high as ninth during Sunday’s race.
The 42-year-old was understandably one of the more intriguing entries at Watkins Glen given his previous F1 prowess. He accumulated 21 Grand Prix victories and 103 podiums during his 19-year run in the sport before retiring in 2021.
Räikkönen’s involvement in Sunday’s penultimate regular season race also caused quite a stir when Denny Hamlin said he didn’t see the Finland native being a contender to win.
The former F1 champ may not have proven to be a major factor in the event, but he did share that he had a good time being back on a racetrack.
“It was good fun,” Räikkönen said. “I felt more confidence all the time and had some good battles. The car felt like it had a lot of speed in there, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”
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