Jenson Button signs three race NASCAR Cup deal

He will race at the Circuit of the Americas, Chicago, and Indianapolis

Jenson Button has signed a deal to race in three NASCAR Cup Series meetings this year.

The 2009 Formula One world champion, 43, will make his debut in the stock car championship at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas – a venue he raced at during his F1 career – on March 26.

He will also compete at a street circuit in Chicago in July, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course the following month.

Button called time on his F1 career at the end of 2016 before making a one-off appearance as a replacement for Fernando Alonso in Monaco in 2017.

He has since raced in different categories, winning the 2018 Super GT championship in Japan, and has competed at the Le Mans 24 Hours race.

“When I got to my 17th year in F1, I felt like I lost that hunger a little bit because it wasn’t new any more,” said Button, who also works as a pundit for Sky Sports.

“There wasn’t something new to learn. Stepping away from F1 gave me the opportunity to try different series that excited me.”

Button, who will drive for Rick Ware Racing, is set to compete against Kimi Raikkonen – the former Ferrari star who claimed the F1 title in 2007.

Button continued: “Every time an ex-F1 driver gets in a stock car these days, they struggle initially.

“It takes a while for them to get up to speed. So, I don’t expect to be right at the front, straight away. That’s why, for me, doing more than one race is key so I can get the best out of myself and the best out of the car.

“The most important thing for me is to enjoy it. I want to feel comfortable in the car knowing that I can get as much out of the car in any situation as other people.”

Published: 10/03/2023 by Radio NewsHub