Lewis Hamilton and NASCAR star Tony Stewart to drive each other’s cars

Racing champions from either side of the Atlantic will get a taste of each other’s world when 2008 Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and double NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart take part in the Mobil 1 Car Swap at Watkins Glen International circuit on June 14.

Hamilton will be behind the wheel of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala NASCAR stock car, while Stewart will try out the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 Formula 1 car.

“I spend a lot of time in race cars, but this will be the first time I’ve been at the wheel of a NASCAR stock car, in the No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet,” said Hamilton. “Tony and I will have some fun with the swap and make sure we put on a good show. American race fans are massively enthusiastic about motorsports, so I hope to see a lot of them down at The Glen to see it firsthand. It’s a racers circuit and will give us both the chance to understand the differences between the two styles of racing at this legendary track. Watkins Glen also has a particular connection to the team, as it is where McLaren won our first Drivers’ and Constructors’ world championship in 1974 with Emerson Fittipaldi; I’m looking forward to getting back there with the latest generation of McLaren’s machines!”

“When you’ve been around competitive racing for as long as I have, you really look forward to new experiences,” added Stewart. “This car swap with Lewis is definitely one of those opportunities. I already have quite a bit of respect for what Lewis and the F1 drivers and teams do, so to experience laps in the cockpit of a F1 car and see what Lewis can do in the Cup car is something I am really excited about.”

“We’re incredibly excited to bring together two champions for their first experiences in the other driver’s car,” said Mobil 1 global brand manager Rebecca K. Aldred. “Though the cars they drive are very different, the competitive spirit that Tony, Lewis and their respective teams share is indistinguishable, as is their team’s reliance on Mobil 1 lubricant technology.”

Although ExxonMobil began its successful partnership with McLaren in 1995 through its Mobil 1 synthetic lubricant brand, its relationship with the Stewart-Haas Racing team is new. This year marks the debut season in which Mobil 1 is the co-primary sponsor for the team’s No. 14 car.