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Jenson Button made his NASCAR weekend debut at the Circuit of the Americas. Button drove the #15 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang, completing 13 laps in the 50-minute practice session on Friday.
Before he is ready for the race on Sunday, Button faces a challenging learning curve. The 43-year-old has driven in various categories of racing but has never driven in NASCAR's premier series. There are a lot of quirks associated with stock cars which the driver is getting used to.
The 2009 F1 world champion admitted that having a spotter guiding him was a 'soothing experience'. Button has never driven with spotters before and found the role of spotters quite interesting. Button said in a press conference on Friday (March 24):
"It’s also interesting having spotters. I’ve never had spotters before. So, I’ve got guys in my ear the whole way around telling me there’s traffic behind, there’s traffic in front – it’s quite soothing. I kind of like it. Our spotters have very soothing voices, which I think is good and it’s especially going to be good on Sunday when it’s manic out there."
Button emphasized that having a soothing voice would calm his nerves on the opening lap when chaos surrounds him. He continued:
"That’s something else to learn – having my mirrors, so I can see around me. But they tell me all the fun information about what’s going on around me."
The Brit also noticed the difference in the practice sessions as he found out that the drivers on slow laps didn't make space for those on quick laps. He also admitted that he never used a sequential gearbox, stating that it was something 'completely new to learn'. The 43-year-old also added that he was still not used to the windscreen mirror.
While there is a lot of catching up to do for Button, he remains excited about his NASCAR Cup Series debut.
Jenson Button 'forgot how to start the car' in his first NASCAR session
After a decent qualifying session, Jenson Button ended up 28th out of 39 entries. He was 1.770s off pace-setter Tyler Reddick but ahead of his fellow F1 comrade Kimi Raikkonen by about half a second.
The Brit jokingly revealed that he had forgotten how to start the car as he said:
"I mean first of all ... A little bit anxious but excited at the same time. I forgot how to start the car which was interesting. So they pushed the car back, and I’m like ‘It won’t start.’ There were a few other switches I had to put up. But then it was okay."
The former F1 champion is looking forward to the challenge as he heads into his first NASCAR qualifying session on Saturday at 11:30 am EST. Button will be a part of the first qualifying group and will advance to the final round if he qualifies in the top five.
