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Raikkonen Concludes Successful NASCAR Test

Kimi Raikkonen has successfully completed his 2-day test in the Truck Series, on the half-mile Gresham Motorsports Park oval. The Finn was scheduled to do the test outing ever since he inked a selected-race deal with Kyle Busch Motorsports for the 2011 NASCAR Truck Series, as confirmed earlier this month.

According to media reports, the Flying Finn took the wheel of a black Toyota Tundra on Monday and did his scheduled testing according to the plan, while joined by American racer Brian Ickler (who had previously ran with the Truck Series winning team last year). Raikkonen ended his first experience in a NASCAR-prepared vehicle on Tuesday, but the entire session was held behind closed doors.

Although neither the media, nor the fans had any access to the running at Gresham Motorsports Park, Autosport cited internal sources as saying that the former F1 champion did well enough to impress his new team at only his first laps in a NASCAR truck.

Last weekend, Raikkonen and Kyle Busch Motorsports confirmed partnership for selected races in the 2011 NASCAR Truck Series, with following reports suggesting that the plan is for the Finn to do from 3 to 5 races this season. According to sources, Raikkonen's aim for 2011 is to attract the necessary sponsorship to do a more extensive programme in the second-tier NASCAR series, Nationwide, and perhaps some races in the Sprint Cup Series, in 2012.

The test at Gresham was Kimi's first and last before his official debut in the Truck Series, scheduled to take place at Charlotte, on May 20. Information about Kimi's race number and sponsor for the aforementioned race, as well as for the rest of his events in 2011, is yet to be revealed.
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