SONOMA, Calif. -- The first Swede to start a NASCAR race is a 31-year-old touring car veteran who hails from a town roughly the size of Kannapolis, N.C., and initially failed the written portion of his driver's license exam. Prior to this weekend at Infineon Raceway, he had been behind the wheel of a Cup vehicle exactly one time -- for a May 25 test at Virginia International Raceway, where he logged 87 laps.

Sunday may prove a touch more daunting, as Mattias Ekstrom makes his debut on an Infineon Raceway road course famous for both its striking natural beauty as well as the aggression competitors often display on it. The native of Falun, Sweden, will drive the No. 83 car in place of regular pilot Brian Vickers, who is out for the rest of the season because of blood clots.

"I would like to run the race from start to finish, trouble-free," Ekstrom said of his modest expectations. "Look after the tires, and drive smart, and try to be there in the end when everybody starts racing a little bit harder. What position that means? I have no idea, but sure it would be nice to have a good result."

Ekstrom will drive the No. 83 on Sunday.

“

I would like to run the race from start to finish, trouble-free.

”

-- MATTIAS EKSTROM

Ekstrom, a Red Bull-backed driver for the past nine years and a two-time champion on Europe's DTM touring car circuit, becomes the latest to try and fill the sizeable void left behind by Vickers' illness in the No. 83 car. Casey Mears drove the previous four events, but was released last week after failing to finish better than 22nd. Next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, former Ganassi and Richard Petty Motorsports driver Reed Sorenson will begin his stint behind the wheel.

The interim brings a hoped-for first NASCAR opportunity for Ekstrom, a road racing expert who cracked the top 20 in final practice Saturday, and will start 38th in Sunday's event on a hilly Infineon course that he compared to Germany's Nurburgring. During a visit to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Ekstrom studied Juan Montoya, and compared notes with the ex-Formula One great this weekend. He also competed in Saturday's K&N Pro Series West event as a tune-up, his first taste of American stock cars after studying the discipline from afar.

"I've been thinking of trying, I should say to [doing] a NASCAR race for a while," Ekstrom said. "I've been following it very closely on TV. My girlfriend, she once in a while asks me what I'm looking on, because I've maybe seen like 50 races live. All of you know they are pretty long. But, it's the only way to understand the sport. I think I understand the sport pretty good. Some of the drivers I know, as well. Understanding how to be quick and how the whole thing is working are very important. Also, to have respect for the way everything runs."

The Sprint Cup cars represent a stark departure from the Audi that Ekstrom drives during his regular job, a vehicle with half the horsepower, a fraction of the weight, and much more downforce than the No. 83 Red Bull machine. He's accustomed to contact -- like stock cars, European touring cars are full-bodied -- but also shorter, more aggressive races, and said NASCAR drivers have more respect for one another by comparison. Of course, he also has yet to experience the end of a NASCAR road course race, which Tony Stewart said can be as lawless as a wrestling match.

Still, like other Europeans who have gravitated to NASCAR, Ekstrom raves about the openness of the garage area, marvels as to how drivers can walk up to other competitor's tool boxes or cars without getting shooed away. It all has him at least intrigued about the idea of doing more NASCAR events in the future, although his DTM schedule precludes him from participating in the season's second road course event at Watkins Glen International in August.

"I have a good deal," he said of his current ride in touring cars, where he's won 14 times and currently ranks fourth in points. "Sure, I've said it before and I will say it again -- [NASCAR] would be a possibility. I am interested and follow the sport. As I said, it's difficult for a European to come here, and I will do my best this week to earn some respect that they see that there are some from Europe that can do it as well."

Related:
• Ekstrom, Magnussen latest to make NASCAR switch