F1 World Champions to race in NASCAR
Know about all the F1 champions who have participated in NASCAR at some point in their racing careers.
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NASCAR
NASCAR as a sport has been on the rise and, because of it, has witnessed quite a few F1 drivers switching to the sport. F1 is considered the pinnacle of motor racing, and to have drivers from that sport, certainly speaks volumes about the worldwide audience that NASCAR has been able to amass over the years.
The privately owned company was founded in 1948, and with time, the American racing series has become a massive hit among the masses. NASCAR has witnessed several F1 drivers try their hands at the sport, but with the help of this piece, we are going to look at every F1 World Champion who has dared to plunge into NASCAR.
List of F1 World Champions that have raced in NASCAR
NASCAR is a completely different sport compared to F1. It has got its own unique set of challenges that are different from how F1 works. Considering this, the F1 drivers at first, have always found it difficult to meet the demands of the sport. As it is in no way like a walk in the park to go up against the seasoned NASCAR campaigners.
1. Jim Clark (1963-65 F1 World Champion)
As per sources, the first name on the list is the 1963 and 65 F1 Champion, Jim Clark. He made his F1 debut in 1960 and clinched his win at the 1962 Belgian Grand Prix. Moreover, after making his trade in F1 for some time, Clark decided to try his hands at NASCAR in 1967.
That year, he participated in the series for John Holmon and Ralph Moody at Rockingham, North Carolina. However, his racing career ended in 1968 when he died during a Formula 2 crash
2.. Mario Andretti(1978 F1 World Champion).
The last driver on the list is the former F1 World Champion, Mario Andretti. The American participated in F1 from 1968-1972 and then had another stint from1974-1982. During his career, Andretti took part in 131 Grand Prix events and scored 12 wins and 180 career points.
Moreover, Mario Andretti, during his racing career,, also tried his hand at NASCAR and even managed to win a race. To date, he and Juan Pablo Montoya are the only drivers who managed to win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series and F1.
3. Jacques Villeneuve (1997 F1 World Champion)
The fifth F1 driver on the list is the 1997 F1 World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve. He made his trade in F1 from 1996-2006, during which he won 11 races and scored a total of 235 career points. In 2007, Villeneuve switched to NASCAR and did his first race at the 2007 UAW-Ford 500(Talladega). His last appearance in the Cup Series came at the 2022 Daytona 500.
During his career, the Canadian also tried his hands at other NASCAR racing categories like Camping World Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and, Pinty’s Series. However, despite participating in many NASCAR categories, he could not score a win.
4. Kimi Raikkonen (2007 F1 World Champion)
The motorsports world was set ablaze when it was announced that Ferrari starlet, Kimi Raikkonen would participate in NASCAR in 2022. However, despite the hype, the Finnish driver participated in two races in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drove for Trackhouse Racing with car number, 91. He also has started in Xfinity and Truck Series races as well.
5. Jenson Button(2009 F1 World Champion)
The last man on this is Jenson Button, who won the F1 World Championship in 2009. The Brit was active in F1 between 2000-2017 and, during that time, could participate in a mammoth 309 Grand Prix events. He made his trade in F1 for teams like Williams, Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda, Brawn, and, McLaren.
While Button decided to call it quits in F1 after the 2017 season. He made his NASCAR debut in 2023 at COTA with Rick Ware Racing. Moreover, he would be seen driving a Mobil 1 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)