The Most Underrated Standout in NASCAR History: Jan Magnussen

Jan Magnussen isn’t a name most associate with NASCAR. Instead, many think of his incredible sports car career, which includes 4 class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as 1 win at the 24 Hours of Daytona. To go along with 2 IMSA titles. Or the immense talent he showed in F1, but never converted it into titles.

But Jan Magnussen’s Random NASCAR One-Off

In 2010, Phoenix Racing was a year away from their first and only win in the NASCAR Cup Series, despite being as competitive as they were before. So not very competitive at all. Heading into wine country, Phoenix only had 1 top ten with the No. 09 car.

With Mike Bliss earning a 10th place with Phoenix at Talladega. And had failed to qualify for 6 of the 14 races, missing almost half of the races. So nobody expected Phoenix to win at Sonoma; even Jan Magnussen was there for a fun time. But why would he bother with NASCAR at all?

Jan Magnussen Desires to race in NASCAR!

The Dane had earned a better relationship with GM than most drivers who ever raced under their stable. All 4 of those 24 Hours of Le Mans came with Corvette, and many of his over 100 road wins, Jan Magnussen had earned even before he entered his only NASCAR start in 2010; many of them were with GM.

And apparently, Jan Magnussen, the Dane, had always wanted to try the famous American motorsport. And with him spending years racing in America, it was about time.“It’s no secret that NASCAR has been a goal of mine, and I’m very appreciative of the opportunity Phoenix Racing is providing,” Jan Magnussen said.

“Through my relationship with GM, I’ve had the chance to test for Hendrick Motorsports, so I’m comfortable in the Sprint Cup cars and understand what to expect. I’m quite familiar with the racetrack and confident in my ability to compete at a high level. It will be an exciting weekend, and I look forward to the entire experience.”

Jan Magnussen and the challenges of NASCAR!

Even for a racer as naturally gifted and talented as Jan Magnussen, NASCAR proved to be 1 of the biggest challenges in his career. This was due to stock cars being very far from the slick, fast, and light sports cars and open-wheel cars he was used to racing. “The cars are heavy with big, soft tires and a stiff rear axle,” recalls Magnussen of the car’s characteristics.

“It just takes a different driving style; you’ve got to be super patient with everything you do.” But there’s so much power, 850-900 horsepower or something. Incredible! Four gears, but it felt like with that amount of power, you just pick a gear you like.”Now, despite having to adapt to the car, Jan Magnussen had high expectations for himself.

Due to his extensive history with the Sonoma track, and because he was once compared to Senna for his ability to jump into anything and extract the maximum speed from it as soon as he gets in. “The testing had gone really well, and I had really high hopes; I thought I could do well here,” he says. “But the way you get prepared for a race weekend is quite different from anything else I’ve experienced before. The amount of running is very limited.”

The Phoenix Chevy Run

Even Jan Magnussen could only qualify the Phoenix Chevy 32nd of 43rd, but he took advantage of the 110 laps of racing he’d have. With the European racer getting used to how Americans drive. “There’s so much going on the whole time; it was like a barroom fight for three hours.”

And there was even another European legend he was measuring himself against. Another driver competing in his only NASCAR race of 2010 at Sonoma was two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekström, whom he beat after Keselowski spun out the Swede. Hendrick also helped to set up Jan Magnussen’s car, and the results showed that.

In an impressive drive, he climbed from 32nd to finish 12th, making the 2nd most green flag passes of anyone all day with 103. A very impressive performance from someone who raced this type of car for the 1st time and would never race it again. “My teammates were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Jimmie Johnson, like 10-11 championships right there.” he says.

Working With Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“They were all great, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fantastic to work with. So considerate and really appreciated whatever help I could bring. Hendrick Motorsports was great, an unbelievable team.” Magnussen continued working with the team through the rest of the season, with the intention of competing in more road courses.

Still, his conflicting sports car schedule prevented him from participating in any further NASCAR outings. “I hoped to do more,” he says. “I knew it was only going to be the road courses, so I did more testing after that, but obviously my calendar at that time was pretty booked, so unfortunately no more came out of it.”

“But NASCAR is one of the coolest experiences I’ve had.” So on paper, a start that’s nothing notable is really one of the most impressive performances in a career full of remarkable performances.

Final Thoughts

Quickly adapting to a car completely different from what Magnussen has driven before and to be right on the tail of his Hendrick teammates, who were some of the best drivers in history. And should be remembered as such, but it was also one of the most significant experiences in Jan Magnussen’s incredible career. Thanks a bunch for reading!