Kimi Räikkönen was a popular figure among racing fans worldwide during his career, with a unique personality that earned him the nickname "The Iceman" early on.
He is one of the most successful drivers in the premier class of Formula 1, with a World Championship title for Ferrari, 21 wins and 103 podiums in his 349 race starts, the most in history.
When he retired from his long career at the age of 42, after driving the last three years with Alfa Romeo, he was open that he will not miss racing.
He wanted to spend more time with his two children and wife back home in Switzerland where the family lives.
The project behind the comeback
But now he is back on the racing track and behind the wheel – in Nascar, where he drove two races in 2011.
He will drive for the TrackHouse Racing Team.
The stable contacted Räikkönen as part of their Project91 program.
It is a program that was created to expand Nascar's profile around the world by connecting stars from different continents.
The man leading the project is former Nascar driver Justin Marks, who is also part owner of the team.
Räikkönen was interested when Marks came up with the idea and in February the American traveled to Switzerland to present the project further.
“Get there very honest”
- He came there very honestly and never promised anything big.
We hope for a good result, you never know what will happen in Nascar, says Räikkönen to AP.
Räikkönen told AP that he had several offers since he quit F1, but that Marks is the only one he accepted.
He will only drive one race, and it will be the 31st of this year's Nascar season.
The competition is decided at Watkins Glen International.