Former Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen had so much fun in his NASCAR debut last week he’ll be moving up to the Nationwide Series race in Charlotte this Saturday.
That’s official, or isn’t it? Last week, Auto123.com reported that Kyle Busch Motorsports, which doesn’t have a Nationwide Team, had a Toyota Camry in its’ race shop. Busch, who won the Camping World Truck Series race, admitted that his team had the car, but it was not owned by KBM. And, he smiled sheepishly when asked if Raikkonen, the 2007 World Champion, would be driving it and said “maybe.”
A number of websites reported that the “mystery car” was owned by Joe Nemechek’s Nemco Racing. The latest development is a press release from Charlotte Motor Speedway public relations department which headlines “Raikkonen Makes Nationwide Series Debut...” According to the release “Raikkonen will be in the No. 87 car fielded by NEMCO Motorsports, owned by Joe Nemechek.” The statement adds that Nemco is be partnering with KBM on the car. This is where the “official” question comes in. This writer doesn’t recall receiving an official statement from KBM about this. It’s like a news story earlier this year. Kasey Kahne either tweeted or implied that he had a second round of knee surgery but his Red Bull team didn’t mention it in any release. Obviously news items can come out of discussions and investigations not preceded by official statements. In fact thorough reporters ferret out stories before they are announced. In NASCAR, though, the usual operating procedure for a new driver/team entry comes from the team and not the track.
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