The March 26 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in will acquire additional luster with the appearance of former Formula 1 champions Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.
Button, the 2009 F1 champion, will be driving the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford, supported by Stewart-Haas Racing, and SHR driver Chase Briscoe believes he’ll benefit from Button’s road course expertise.
“Growing up in a town of 3,000 people and one stop light, I would have never thought in a million years I’d race against an F1 guy, let alone two of them in one race–even be teammates with an F1 world champion,” said Briscoe, a native of Mitchell, Ind. “It’s going to be really cool for me to get to experience that, get to know Jenson, and just see how he prepares.
“Truthfully, I think on the road course side, he’s going to be able to bring a lot to the table. Last year, I kind of did that in a driver swap with (Haas F1 drivers) Mick Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen. They only ran like five laps apiece at the (Charlotte) Roval. They were within a second of what I was running at pretty much 100 percent.
“So, those guys are such unbelievable road racers that Jenson is going to bring a lot to the table just as far as things to look for and maximize. I’m really excited for that side of it and the opportunity, because it’s going to be a lot of fun.”