This Sunday at Naval Base Coronado, ex-F1 driver Kevin Magnussen is set to take on something completely different as he races a NASCAR Cup Series car for the very first time, driving the No. 91 Qualcomm Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing.
In addition to racing in Formula 1 for a full decade, the 33-year-old Dane has made several starts across both WEC across IMSA, and even competed in an IndyCar race during the 2021 season. But this weekend, he will join the field of 39 entries for the first-ever NASCAR Cup race on an active military base, racing around a 3.4-mile street course.
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Magnussen will be competing with Trackhouse Racing as a teammate to Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain, and Connor Zilisch. Just last weekend, he was in France competing in the 94th edition of the Le Mans 24 with the BMW Hypercar team.
The team has posted various videos of K-Mag’s preparation for San Diego, practicing pit stops and getting fitted for his custom race seat.
“I’m incredibly excited and honored to have the opportunity to compete in NASCAR, so a huge thank you to Trackhouse Racing and Justin Marks for giving me this chance,” said Magnussen. “I’ve always been curious about exploring different forms of motorsport, and NASCAR is one of the most iconic racing series in the world with an incredibly passionate fanbase.
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“I’ve already spent time with the team in North Carolina – meeting everyone, doing the seat fit, going through pit stop procedures and all the details that come with preparing for a NASCAR weekend. They’re an awesome group of people, incredibly dedicated, and just as excited about this debut as I am. I really can’t wait to get to San Diego and experience it all for the first time.”
Trackhouse has an impressive record on road and street courses, with Van Gisbergen winning six of the last seven on the Cup Series schedule. Chastain’s first Cup win also came on a road course, as did Daniel Suarez’s back when he used to drive for the team.
Magnussen goes into the race weekend with zero time on-track, and he will have just one 50-minute practice on Friday before qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.
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“It’s a discipline that differs a lot from what I’m used to, so there’s been plenty to learn already,” said Magnussen about the challenge ahead of him. “My father (Jan) had the opportunity to race in NASCAR back in 2010, and I’ve heard him talk about that experience with so much enthusiasm over the years, which only made me even more interested in trying it myself one day. I’m coming into this with absolutely no NASCAR experience, and we haven’t had the opportunity to test the car on track beforehand, so my first laps will come during practice. That means it’s going to be a pretty intense introduction, but luckily, we’re heading to the only street race on the calendar, which is something I’m very familiar with from my years in Formula 1.”
Phil Surgen, who led Chastain to all six of his Cup wins between 2022 and 2025, will work alongside Magnussen as his crew chief for this weekend’s San Diego race.
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