Who Is Kevin Magnussen And What NASCAR Fans Should Know

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 19: Kevin Magnussen of Denmark and Haas F1 walks in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 19, 2024 in Singapore, Singapore. (Photo by Lars Baron - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

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Kevin Magnussen will make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in a few short weeks, courtesy of Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 entry at Naval Base Coronado.

So who is Kevin Magnussen?

He's a likable 33-year-old Danish driver who spent a decade in Formula 1 competing for teams including McLaren, Renault and Haas. His career highlight came almost immediately, with a runner-up finish in his Formula 1 debut at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne driving for McLaren. He also made an IndyCar start at Road America in 2021 during a one-year hiatus from Formula 1 before returning to the series from 2022 through 2024. Along the way, he added a victory in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, winning the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle for Chip Ganassi Racing alongside co-driver Renger van der Zande.

In other words, he's raced just about everything.

What Magnussen has not done is cultivate the sort of larger-than-life personality that often follows elite racing drivers. His public persona has traditionally been about as flashy as one of those blue tins of Danish butter cookies that mysteriously appears in every household around the holidays. The empty tin often generates more excitement because eventually it becomes a sewing kit. Magnussen, meanwhile, has quietly gone about the business of being a very good racing driver.

All of it delivered with what seems to be a permanent smile.

He'll now add stock-car racing to an already diverse résumé.

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 12: Renger van der Zande , L, and Kevin Magnussen celebrate after winning the Chevrolet Sportscar Classic IMSA race on June 12, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)

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"I'm incredibly excited and honored to have the opportunity to compete in NASCAR," Magnussen said in a team release. "What Justin Marks and Trackhouse have done with Project 91 is unique, to provide drivers from outside of the NASCAR world with a chance to compete at this level. I'm proud to have this opportunity."

Marks created Project 91 in 2022 as a platform to increase Trackhouse Racing's global footprint. Magnussen will join Trackhouse's full-time Cup Series drivers Shane van Gisbergen, Ross Chastain and Connor Zilisch for the 75-lap race. Qualcomm Technologies Inc. will serve as the primary sponsor.

"I'm thrilled to be able to bring back Project 91 again this year, especially at San Diego," Marks said. "We were waiting for the right opportunity with the right partner and driver to bring this Project 91 entry to fruition. Qualcomm is a worldwide brand, and Kevin Magnussen is a global driver, and both are elements we look for when it comes to running Project 91."

This will be the sixth Project 91 race and the first since four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves competed in the 2025 Daytona 500. Previous Project 91 drivers include 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen at Watkins Glen in 2022 and Circuit of The Americas in 2023, as well as Shane van Gisbergen, whose stunning victory in the inaugural Chicago Street Race immediately became one of NASCAR's most memorable crossover success stories.

Phil Surgen will serve as crew chief for Magnussen in San Diego. Since joining Trackhouse in 2022, Surgen has collected six Cup Series victories, three playoff appearances and a runner-up finish in the championship standings.

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While San Diego will mark Magnussen's NASCAR Cup Series debut, it won't be his first experience behind the wheel of a stock car. During his time with Haas F1 in 2022, Magnussen and teammate Mick Schumacher participated in a crossover event with Chase Briscoe at Charlotte Motor Speedway's ROVAL.

But on June 21, Magnussen will finally get the full NASCAR experience.

No demonstrations. No exhibition laps. No marketing exercises.

Just 37 other drivers trying to occupy the same piece of asphalt at the same time.

But no matter the outcome, there's a pretty good chance Magnussen will still be smiling when it's over.

"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," he said. "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."

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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