This Former F1 Driver is Headed to NASCAR

The worlds of elite open-wheel racing and American stock cars are about to collide once again.

Kevin Magnussen, a 10-year veteran of the Formula 1 grid, is officially making his NASCAR Cup Series debut. The 33-year-old Danish driver will pilot the No. 91 Qualcomm Technologies Chevrolet Camaro for Trackhouse Racing on June 21.

If you are more accustomed to hybrid engines, tire degradation strategies, and the pristine paddocks of Monaco or Silverstone, NASCAR might seem like a completely different planet. But this isn't just any stock car race, it is an historic event that bridges the gap between traditional American motorsport and global sports car racing.

What is Project 91?

For the uninitiated, NASCAR teams usually run fixed rosters of full-time drivers chasing a season-long championship. However, Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks created a brilliant disruptor called Project 91.

The goal of Project 91 is simple: enter a part-time, "open" car to give world-class international drivers a shot at NASCAR.

• The Proof of Concept: 2007 F1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen was the first to drive it back in 2022.
• The Fairytale: New Zealand Supercars legend Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) drove it to a shocking victory at the Chicago Street Course in 2023. SVG's cameo was so successful that he moved to America full-time and is now a regular NASCAR frontrunner.
• The Recent History: Four-time Indy 500 winner Hélio Castroneves most recently piloted the car at the 2025 Daytona 500.

Now, it’s Magnussen’s turn.

A Drastic Shift from Formula 1

Magnussen is an incredibly versatile racer. With 185 F1 starts under his belt driving for McLaren, Renault and Haas, he understands high-downforce, razor-sharp open-wheel machinery. He also has stateside experience, having won an IMSA sports car race for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2021.

But a NASCAR Cup Series car? That is a whole different beast.

An F1 car is a lightweight carbon-fiber scalpel weighing around 800 kg (1,763 lbs) with hyper-advanced aerodynamics. A NASCAR Next-Gen car is a heavy, steel-bodied sledgehammer weighing nearly 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs) with minimal electronic driver aids, steel brakes, and sequential shifting.

Magnussen actually got a small taste of a previous-generation NASCAR vehicle during a Haas F1 marketing crossover event in 2022. His takeaway back then tells you everything you need to know:

"When you drive in NASCAR, as a Formula One driver, it’s like you’ve never driven a race car before. It’s completely different. Everything you know is out of the window."

A Setting Worthy of the Spectacle: Naval Base Coronado

NASCAR has traditionally been defined by high-banked left-turn ovals like Daytona and Talladega. However, the sport has recently undergone a road-course revolution, designing temporary street circuits reminiscent of F1's setups in Baku or Singapore.

Magnussen's debut will take place at the Anduril 250, held on a temporary street circuit at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. This marks the first time NASCAR will ever host an official race weekend on an active United States military base.

Because it is a twisty street circuit rather than a traditional oval, the playing field will be heavily leveled. F1 and sports car drivers excel at precise braking zones and 90-degree street corners, meaning Magnussen actually has a fighting chance to be competitive right out of the gate.

An AI-Powered Garage

To make things even more interesting, Trackhouse Racing is leaning into cutting-edge tech for this race. Through a partnership with Qualcomm, the team will be using the Qualcomm Dragonwing AI platform.

While F1 teams are famous for their massive mission control rooms back at their European factories analyzing real-time telemetry, NASCAR regulations are a bit tighter. Trackhouse plans to use this AI system to instantly crunch complex timing data and radio communications, giving Magnussen’s crew chief, Phil Surgen, a high-tech edge for in-race strategy decisions.

How to Watch

Magnussen will share the track with plenty of talent, including his own Trackhouse teammates: regular contenders Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch, alongside fellow international crossover star Shane van Gisbergen.

For automotive enthusiasts and F1 fans curious to see how an elite open-wheel driver handles heavy American iron, this is a must-watch.

• Event: Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado
• Date: Sunday, June 21
• Time: 4:00 PM ET
• Where to Stream: Prime Video, HBO Max

While this all might sound pretty surprising, Magnussen isn't the first F1 driver to make the jump. Far from it. See the below list of those who have come before him:

The F1 World Champions Who Drove NASCAR

• Kimi Räikkönen: "The Iceman" actually made two lower-tier NASCAR starts during his initial F1 hiatus in 2011. A decade later, he was the inaugural driver for Trackhouse Racing’s Project 91, running the Cup race at Watkins Glen in 2022 and Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in 2023.
• Jenson Button: The 2009 F1 World Champion ran a three-race NASCAR Cup schedule in 2023. He drove for Rick Ware Racing at COTA, the Chicago Street Course, and Indianapolis, leaning into his road-racing expertise.
• Jacques Villeneuve: The 1997 F1 Champ spent years making sporadic NASCAR appearances. His crown jewel moment came in 2022, when he successfully qualified for and ran the legendary Daytona 500 at 50 years old, finishing a respectable 22nd.
• Mario Andretti: The ultimate crossover king. Before he won his 1978 F1 World Championship, Andretti conquered American stock cars. He won the 1967 Daytona 500 in a Ford, making him the only driver in history to win a Daytona 500, an Indy 500, and an F1 World Title.

The F1 Full-Time Converts

While many drivers just visit for a weekend, a couple of prominent F1 names actually made NASCAR their primary career for a time.

• Juan Pablo Montoya: By far the most successful modern F1 transplant. After abruptly leaving McLaren mid-season in 2006, Montoya moved to NASCAR full-time from 2007 to 2013 with Chip Ganassi Racing. He started 255 Cup races, won twice (both on road courses at Sonoma and Watkins Glen), and even made the NASCAR Playoffs in 2009.
• Scott Speed: The American driver moved to NASCAR full-time after being dropped by Toro Rosso in 2007. He spent several years in the sport, taking a victory in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2008 and starting 118 races in the premier Cup Series.

The Road Course Ringers & Modern Cameos

Because NASCAR has added more road courses and street circuits to its calendar, it frequently attracts international talent for one-off weekends.

• Kamui Kobayashi: The former Toyota/Sauber F1 driver and Le Mans winner made Cup Series cameos in 2023 and 2024 driving for 23XI Racing (the team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan).
• Daniil Kvyat: The former Red Bull and AlphaTauri driver made three NASCAR Cup Series starts in 2022 for Team Hezeberg.
• Nelson Piquet Jr.: After his F1 career ended post-Crashgate, Piquet moved stateside and climbed the NASCAR ladder, remarkably winning races in both the Nationwide (now Xfinity) and Truck Series.
• Max Papis & Christian Fittipaldi: Both 90s F1 veterans transitioned into highly respected road course ringers in NASCAR during the 2000s, brought in by teams specifically to maximize points on twisty tracks.

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