Räikkönen: Convincing debut in Charlotte

The Finn, who started from 31st place on the grid, progressed in the hierarchy over the laps, despite a start to the race disrupted by the lack of experience with flying starts. However, he managed to get into the top 10 after the second caution when he jumped a pit stop.

The Kyle Busch Motorsport driver should then have respected his stop on lap 51 under a green flag, but luck smiled on him when his team boss spun, resulting in a providential yellow flag. From then on, Kimi sailed between 12th and 16th place, not without having climbed up to 5th place, and finally crossed the finish line in 15th. A demonstration that his car chief (his “crew chief”), Doug Howe, described as “ very positive. If he had doubts, let him continue in this discipline “, he told us.

As for the person concerned, true to himself, he indulged in a “long” confidence. “ The race was fun. But too many neutralizations. Every time I felt that the car was going better, I was stopped in my tracks. It then took time for the behavior to become optimal again. “, he simply declared.

The day was full of satisfaction for the team as Kyle Busch won, thus securing his third consecutive victory, his fourth in six starts this season.

Find in issue 1806 of AUTOhebdo, on newsstands Wednesday May 25, the debut of Kimi Räikkönen in Nascar.