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When folks consider NASCAR, they shortly affiliate it with American motorsport. Sunday’s Cup Collection race at Watkins Glen Worldwide, nonetheless, will present a world mix as six drivers every from completely different international locations are on the grid. The weekly presence of Mexico’s Daniel Suárez already makes the Cup grid multinational, however 5 others will present up as street course ringers together with a pair of Formulation One alumni, two Cup newcomers, and lots of success in open-wheel and sports activities automotive racing.
Maybe probably the most high-profile identify of the sector is Kimi Räikkönen. The Finn, who dabbled in NASCAR’s decrease collection in 2011 4 years after successful the F1 World Championship, will make his Cup début within the #91 for Trackhouse Racing Staff as a part of their PROJECT91, a programme supposed to draw worldwide racing stars to inventory automobiles. Whereas “The Iceman” would be the first of his nation to race in Cup, Mika Salo examined a Cup automotive in 2009 whereas Tuomas Pöntinen grew to become the primary Finnish NASCAR winner within the Whelen Euro Collection at Vallelunga in July.
Räikkönen just isn’t the one F1 driver as Daniil Kvyat will run his second race for Staff Hezeberg. The Russian, who final ran an F1 grand prix in 2020, completed thirty-sixth in his maiden NASCAR begin at Indianapolis in July following a suspension failure. Kvyat is the primary Russian to compete in a NASCAR nationwide tier, whereas international and regional collection have seen the likes of Roman Mavlanov (Euro Collection) and Kosma Guznyakov (Weekly Collection).
Additionally driving for Hezeberg is Loris Hezemans of the Netherlands. The reigning Euro Series champion, whose father Toine owns Hezeberg, has run the Cup races at COTA and Street America however failed to complete both on account of mechanical hassle.
Representing Germany is Mike Rockenfeller, a DTM champion and Le Mans ace who enters his first NASCAR race. Rockenfeller is contracted to drive for Spire Motorsports at Watkins Glen adopted by the Charlotte Roval in October. He’s the fifth German to race within the Cup Collection after Lothar Motschenbacher (1970), Rolf Stommelen and Fritz Schultz (1971), and Klaus Graf (2004).
Kyle Tilley has probably the most Cup expertise of the quintet with 4 Cup begins for Dwell Quick Motorsports. The 2021 Asian Le Mans Collection LMP2 champion and Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona LMP2 winner hails from England.
The seven nationalities represented are probably the most in any NASCAR race, with the earlier report additionally occurring at Watkins Glen. The 2013 version featured six drivers born exterior the US with Marcos Ambrose and Owen Kelly from Australia, Ron Fellows of Canada, Victor Gonzalez Jr. from Puerto Rico, Colombia’s Juan Pablo Montoya, and the Italian Max Papis.
There may have been an eighth nation at WGI had Tarso Marques of Brazil been in a position to participate as his Staff Stange Racing originally planned, although they weren’t on the entry listing.
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