Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Räikkönen takes No. 7 Cup car for test at VIR

Finn runs laps in Gordon's car, his first in a Sprint Cup Series vehicle

Kimi Räikkönen took his first laps in a Sprint Cup vehicle on Tuesday when the former Formula One champion tested Robby Gordon's No. 7 car on the road course at Virginia International Raceway.

Gordon confirmed the news on his Twitter account. He turned the car over to Raikkonen because he was in Mexico City for a sponsor meeting, but planned to be in the No. 7 himself to test at VIR on Wednesday.

Räikkönen made his NASCAR debut last Friday with a 15th-place finish in the Camping World Truck Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and is on the entry list to drive Joe Nemechek's No. 87 car in the Nationwide Series at the same track this Saturday. The Finn has expressed interest in wheeling a Sprint Cup car since April, when he first tested a truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports, the team he competed for last weekend.

VIR is often used as a testing ground for the Sprint Cup road race in Sonoma, Calif. Last week Räikkönen reiterated his hope to "run some Cup races," but there are currently no announced plans for the former F1 driver beyond Charlotte

Source: NASCAR.COM

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