Kevin Magnussen will trade Hypercar BMW for Chevrolet Nascar Cup Series

Kevin Magnussen will be driving the Project 91 Trackhouse Racing team at the Coronado Naval Base during his debut in the Nascar Cup Series on June 21.

Magnussen, a Formula 1 veteran and a well-known sports car racer, will drive Chevrolet No. 91 of Qualcomm Technologies in the initial Nascar race on an active United States military base because Qualcomm will serve as the official partner of the NASCAR circuit in San Diego.

A native from Denmark, Magnussen, graduated from Formula 1 from 2014 to 2024 185, during which he competed for McLaren, Renault and Haas, and in his debut in Melbourne at the Great Australia 2014 Award for McLaren he added the best second place in his career. In 2021 Magnussen switched to sports cars and won the Grand Prix Detroit in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for the Chip Ganassi Racing team at Belle Isle alongside passenger Renger van der Zande. In 2021 he also completed one start in the series NTT IndyCar on Road America before returning to F1 between 2022 and 2024.

"I am incredibly excited and honored to have the opportunity to compete in Nassar," said Magnussen in the team press release. "What Justin Marks and Trackhouse did to Project 91 is unique, giving drivers outside the world a NASCAR chance to compete at that level. I'm proud to have this opportunity.

I've spent some time with a team in North Carolina, met everyone, set up a seat, walked through pit stops and all the details that comes with the preparation for the Nascar weekend. It's an amazing group of people, incredibly devoted and as excited about this debut as I am. I can't wait to get to San Diego and experience it all for the first time. "

Magnussen will have three team colleagues on the San Diego track and will join the full-time racers Ross Chastain, Connor Zilisch and the graduate of Project 91 Shane van Gisbergen.

"Nascar is a completely different race than Formula 1," said Magnussen after his first experience. "We're used to that. When you drive Nascar as a Formula 1 driver, it's like you've never driven a racing car before. It's completely different. Everything you know is out the window. It's a lot of fun. You have to relearn everything, and it's like driving a racing car for the first time. It's amazing."

Magnussen's main racing activity, however, has been linked to the BMW brand in recent years, an experienced pilot racing in the Hypercar category for the WRT team under the FIA WEC.