Kimi Räikkönen and the No. 15 Perky Jerky Toyota Tundra
Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM)
N.C. Education Lottery 200 Race Preview
RACE: N.C. Education Lottery 200
TRACK: Charlotte Motor Speedway
PRIMARY SPONSOR: Perky Jerky
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS: DVS Shoe Company, Flexco, M&M’s,
PRIMARY CHASSIS: KBM-3
BACKUP CHASSIS: KBM-2
MANUFACTURER: Toyota
MOTORS: Triad Racing Technologies
BROADCAST: Friday, May 20 – 8:00 p.m. ET SPEED/MRN/Sirius NASCAR 90
Kimi Räikkönen to Make NASCAR Debut in N.C. Education Lottery 200
Former Formula 1 champion Kimi Räikkönen will make his NASCAR debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series NC Education Lottery 200 Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Räikkönen will pilot his first laps around a NASCAR oval as a teammate to team owner Kyle Busch, from behind the wheel of the No. 15 Perky Jerky Toyota Tundra.
“I’m excited to do my first-ever NASCAR race; it will be fun to compete against other drivers on the track again,”said Räikkönen, referring to only racing against the clock in World Rally Cars. “This is a new experience for me – - let’s see what happens.”
Räikkönen is scheduled to address the media following the conclusion of final practice, Friday at 12:15 p.m. ET, in the media center at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Finnish driver comes to NASCAR with a resume that includes the 2007 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. Over his nine year career in Formula 1, he registered 18 wins and 62 podium finishes. The 31-year old is currently competing for a World Rally Car Championship for his own team, ICE1RACING.
To find out more about Kimi Räikkönen, please visit www.kimiraikkonen.com.
Perky Jerky to Sponsor Räikkönen in His NCWTS Debut
Perky Jerky (perkyjerky.com) the ultra-premium jerky flavored with a hint of guarana that’s quickly gaining fame around the world, will sponsor Kimi Räikkönen in his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series race this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This race will mark the first time the 2007 Formula One world champion will compete in a NASCAR event.
“Perky Jerky might only be two years old, but we have one of the best race car drivers in the world to represent our brand in America’s greatest race series,” said Brian Levin, Perky Jerky founder and chairman on the herd. “We look forward to seeing Kimi take the green flag on Friday for Perky Jerky and we’ll be cheering him along as will our Perky Jerky fans across the country and around the world.”
About Perky Jerky:
Four years ago during a ski lift calamity, Perky Jerky’s founders spilled energy drink all over their stash of beef jerky. Stranded, hungry and 40-feet off the ground, they ate the soaked jerky and realized they were on to something. Three years in the kitchen and hundreds of homemade jerky recipes later, Perky Jerky was perfected and launched in 2009. In less than two years, Perky Jerky has quickly reached stratospheric levels of popularity amongst athletes, moms, students, troops and truckers alike. Perky Jerky can be found at many retailers across the country, including Home Depot, 7-Eleven, Publix, Target, Sports Authority and many other fine retailers.
Already entrenched in NASCAR as the official and exclusive jerky of the Daytona 500, Perky Jerky has developed a marketing strategy that includes consumer sampling via Velcro suits, better known as the “jerk suit” and tasting opportunities via the “jerk bar”, a traveling sampling display, which has become a must-stop at many NASCAR events around the country.
Keep up with Perky Jerky on Facebook at www.facebook.com/perkyjerky and on Twitter: @perkyjerky.com.
Räikkönen Completes Series of Tests to Prepare to Race in NCWTS
- In order to prepare for his debut this weekend at Charlotte, Räikkönen participated in two tests, one at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, GA and one at Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, NC:
–Review of Gresham Test from Rick Ren, General Manager, Kyle Busch Motorsports:
“Overall the test went really well. We ran about 400 laps total between Monday and Tuesday. Kimi provided good feedback that allowed us to make our Toyota Tundra go faster. He is very methodical with his acceleration, braking and steering and there is no doubt that he has a good feel for a race vehicle. We threw a lot at him over the two days. We made a lot of chassis changes to both the front and rear. Shock adjustments, air pressure adjustments and track bar adjustments so he could get a good feel for how these adjustments affect the handling of the truck. For being unfamiliar with a truck and unfamiliar with the track, he did an outstanding job. We made both race runs and qualifying runs and there is no doubt that making the truck go fast will not be a problem.”
–Kimi Räikkönen’s Thoughts on Gresham Test:
“It was a lot of fun, I really had no expectations or anything to compare it to beforehand but at the end of the day, I am really looking forward to the first race. It seems like KBM is a top team and I am excited to work with them.”
Several days later, Räikkönen tackled Rockingham Speedway, running only about 50 laps around the one-mile, high-banked, paved track in southeastern North Carolina.
–Rick Ren’s Thoughts on Rockingham Test:
“On one hand, I am obviously not surprised at all with the type of experience Kimi has and his championship pedigree. But on the other hand, I am pleasantly surprised.”
–Crew Chief of the No. 18 Toyota Tundra, Eric Phillips’ Thoughts on Rockingham Test:
“We only ran about 50 laps [at Rockingham] today because it was obvious we didn’t need to get much more out of this test. The [31-year-old] kid definitely knows how to drive.”
Kyle Busch on How KBM Has Helped Prepare Kimi Räikkönen for His Debut:
“To be honest with you, we sent him (Kimi Räikkönen) a few videos of the past couple years’ truck races in Charlotte and I believe we also sent him a couple in-car cameras so he can kind of watch and get used to listening how throttle control was, how much you’re on the gas, how to race people, sometimes what happens when you’re side-by-side with guys. I think last year I won the truck race there and the year before, (Ron) Hornaday and I were battling it out and we ended up spinning or something. He’ll get a good view of what to expect with some in-car camera stuff.
“As far as the truck goes, it’s pretty simple. It’s like anything else, any other trucks that we have. We had one in the stable and we’ve been working on it for two months now, probably ever since we’ve known really. (We’ve) just (been) fine tweaking on it and getting stuff ready along with my truck for Charlotte.”
*** The primary chassis, KBM-3, was last raced in the NCWTS race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by Brian Ickler last September. Ickler qualified ninth and finished seventh in the event ***
- Kyle Busch Motorsports Press Release
