Former Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen has never raced in NASCAR’s Cup Series, but as Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91 entry in the inaugural Anduril 250 on Naval Base Coronado, the Danish driver considers it a “memory for life.”
“I’ve been on that Formula 1 feeder system ever since I was a child from karting, Formula 1 was my main goal and that was where I was aiming, and then I spent 10 or 11 years in Formula 1,” said Magnussen, whose father Jan Magnussen also competed in F1.
“I don’t think I ever thought it (NASCAR) would be a possibility because I’ve been on the European Formula 1 track that is very different and isolated from the NASCAR world, so it’s not often you get a chance to actually cross over.”
Magnussen’s father made his NASCAR debut in the 2010 Cup race at Sonoma for Phoenix Racing team owner James Finch. He qualified 32nd and finished 12th to winner Jimmie Johnson. Magnussen said his father had a “great experience” competing in NASCAR and “loved it so much.” However, Magnussen admits NASCAR is a very different form of racing from F1 and sports car racing where he competes for BMW in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship.
NurPhoto//Getty Images
Kevin Magnussen driving at Le Mans.
“It’s not only the car that is different, it’s also the rules, the way people race each other, the way all the strategy works out,” said Magnussen, who competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans a week ago. “The way the sporting rules are around racing each other is much more lenient than in European racing. I got a message from Jason Patton, who also did some races here, and he said, ‘Be careful and be aware… they’ll turn you around if they have any part of the track on your side.’”
“It’s not only the car that is different, it’s also the rules, the way people race each other, the way all the strategy works out.”
Magnussen is the third driver to receive a NASCAR opportunity in Trackhouse Racing’s PROJECT91. Created by team owner Justin Marks, the part-time team is designed to expand NASCAR’s global reach by bringing world-class, non-NASCAR drivers into American stock car racing. F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen was the first to take advantage of the opportunity, making his debut in the 2022 Watkins Glen race. Three-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen made his debut with a victory in the inaugural Chicago Street Course race in 2023. Van Gisbergen is now a full-time NASCAR competitor for Trackhouse Racing. However, Magnussen doesn’t consider Van Gisbergen a benchmark.
Chris Graythen//Getty Images
Kevin Magunssen preparing to practice at Coronado.
“Shane is a driver that comes from V8 Supercars that are not too different to NASCAR Cup cars,” Magnussen noted. “They race on tracks like this all the time in those cars, so this is like his home soil. I’ll be given a 50-minute session to try and catch up on decades of practice of the other drivers, so that will be a steep learning curve.”
After walking the track Friday morning, Magnussen said the facility looked like the “most extreme track” he’d ever driven. He cited the stock car’s braking system as his biggest adjustment.
“A Formula 1 car can brake very, very hard and it has a lot of stability,” Magnussen explained. “It has all this downforce and it’s just sucking it to the ground. I’d say a Formula 1 car is more like a fighter jet with wheels than it is a car. These (stock cars) are real cars. They look like cars. They sound great. They’re just awesome and iconic.”
Now that F1 is behind Magnussen, he considers himself “pretty open-minded” about motorsports. His objective is to take any opportunity he can get and have fun with it.
“Obviously, my time in Formula One gave me that privilege and opportunity and now I’m living that,” Magnussen said. “I think the Formula One world can be kind of isolated and just focused on itself. My dad has been racing in the U.S. all my life, basically, in sports cars. Since I was a kid, I’ve been coming to the U.S. tracks, to the U.S. races, so I think it’s very natural for me to want to do this. It’s going to be a memory for life.”
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.