Button will race the #15 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang with assist from Stewart-Haas Racing at COTA, the place he may even face 2007 F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen in a third Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
Will probably be Button’s first look in any division of NASCAR and comes a couple of months forward of his deliberate assault on the Le Mans 24 Hours in a Subsequent Gen Cup automobile ready by Hendrick Motorsports. There, Button will share the automobile with Jimmie Johnson and Mike Rockenfeller as he makes his first try on the endurance traditional since 2018.
Along with the Cup Sequence’ first highway course race of the season at COTA on 26 March, he may even enter the inaugural Chicago Avenue Course race on 12 July and earlier than returning to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Highway Course on 13 August.
Button was current for all eight grands prix held at Indy between 2000 and 2007, however by no means completed greater than eighth with Renault in 2002. He certified third for the notorious 2005 race that each one 14 Michelin runners had been unable to begin after tyre issues within the build-up.
His greatest end at COTA from 5 F1 begins was fifth in 2012.
Since stepping away from F1 full-time on the finish of 2016, Button gained the 2018 Tremendous GT championship and has contested occasions in numerous disciplines, together with DTM, British GT and Excessive E. He made his 306th and closing look changing Fernando Alonso on the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix.
“The rationale I used to be capable of keep in Formulation 1 for therefore lengthy was as a result of I at all times felt I used to be studying,” mentioned Button.
“There was at all times one thing new by way of applied sciences, or I may nonetheless enhance my driving or engineering abilities inside Formulation 1.
“After I bought to my 17th 12 months in F1, I felt like I misplaced that starvation a bit of bit as a result of it wasn’t new anymore. There wasn’t one thing new to study.
Jenson Button, Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang
Picture by: True Velocity PR
“Stepping away from F1 gave me the chance to strive totally different sequence that excited me. I raced Tremendous GT in Japan. I raced at Le Mans. I raced off-road as a result of it was one other talent to study.
“You place your self in a barely susceptible place as a result of it’s not your full talent set, and there’s nonetheless extra to study to be pretty much as good as the most effective.
“I really like that problem of driving new issues. It’s barely out of my consolation zone, and I discovered that out with off-road vehicles.
“Clearly, racing a Cup automobile may be very totally different than what I’m used to. It’s quite a bit heavier with quite a bit much less energy and, mainly, no downforce.
“It’s bought a sequential gearbox the place it’s worthwhile to blip the throttle, so there’s numerous stuff to study in a really quick house of time.
“However I simply get enthusiastic about that new problem, and after I throw myself into one thing, I’m 100% in. I’m not simply doing it for enjoyable in some one-off.
“I wish to be aggressive, and I do know that to be aggressive, it’s going to take a little bit of time. That’s why doing these three races works very properly this season.”
COTA may even function the NASCAR Cup debut of accomplished sportscar racer Jordan Taylor. The Le Mans class winner and IMSA SportsCar Championship winner will sub for an injured Chase Elliott within the #9 Hendrick Chevrolet.
