Nelson Piquet Jr. secures a ride in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series!!

[Giuseppe F1]

F1: Piquet Looks To Revive Career In NASCAR
Written by: SPEED Staff
SPEEDtv.com
10/04/2009
Charlotte, NC

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-piquet-looks-to-revive-career-in-nascar/

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Nelson Piquet Jr., who became the source of a recent scandal known as ‘crash-gate’, will be testing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with an eye towards a future in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series with in two years.

Piquet Jr., will get behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing on October 12th. He is expected in the team’s Mooresville North Carolina shop Monday for a seat fitting.

The Renault F1 team fired the 23-year-old Brazilian earlier this season for underperformance. Shortly after details emerged that Piquet had been ordered to cause a crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix that allowed his teammate Fernando Alonso to win.

After an investigation and hearing, Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, held a hearing and banned Renault F1’s team boss Flavio Briatore for life and the team’s
technical engineer Pat Symonds for five years. They also placed the team on a ‘suspended ban’ for two years.

Piquet Jr., was given immunity from sanctions in exchange for his testimony and many in Formula One now consider the son of two time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet to be ‘damaged goods’.

"I think on his performance, to be honest, disregarding the (Singapore) issue, I probably would not give him a drive and I would probably be further influenced in that decision by what took place," said Toyota's John Howett at Suzuka site of this past weekends Japanese Grand Prix.

[harvick#1]

****!!!!!!

[Roamy]

Well one thing about this - he has the crash experience for the job !!

[F1boat]

http://planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3261_5575078,00.html

"1.Nelson Piquet Junior may not expect forgiveness, let's hope he doesn't expect another competitive race drive that his father doesn't have to pay for. NASCAR might be his best bet. They love drivers who crash, even ones that do it deliberately. And if you want, you can get fat and still drive. "
They were prophetic...

[Dave B]

Is it April Fools day already? :crazy:

[Steve2009]

This freakin' guy just needs to just crawl under a rock. :down:

[UltimateDanGTR]

this should be a good laugh.............

[Jag_Warrior]

You know what's really odd and strange about this? He'd rather take Daddy's money and try to secure a ride in the NASCAR truck series (a third tier series), rather than give the IRL a shot. That says something about the (sad) current state of American open wheel formula car racing, IMO. The IRL Dallara wouldn't be so different (hp/weight) from the GP2 car that he proved to a be a winner in. So what does he do? He's going to test a pickup truck... that races exclusively on ovals.

I think he could go to the IRL and make a name for himself. But against good old boys, who grew up racing short tracks and banging fenders? IMO, this has Epic Fail written all over it.

[NickFalzone]

It is pretty funny that NASCAR Trucks is more appealing than trying the IRL, and even funnier when money/salary is NOT an issue for him. I guess he must have talked to Scott Speed and is trying to follow in his footsteps (backmarker in Cup).

[ioan]

If Nascar wasn't too bad for Montoya than Piquet Jr will be OK too.

[Mihai]

I bet Dale Jr will spot PQ Jr as perfect team-mate in the future. The Brazilian has a proven ability of spinning the car out of control and bring a caution flag just when the #88 is first car a lap down and needs a free pass to score a Top 20 result. :D

[harvick#1]

lol its not even that anymore mihai, if a hot dog wrapper is on the track, Nascar throws a caution flag

[Jag_Warrior]

If Nascar wasn't too bad for Montoya than Piquet Jr will be OK too.

Possibly. But Piquet, Jr.'s overall talent level is a far cry from Montoya's.

[anthonyvop]

All he has secured is a test in a NASCAR truck. $40-50K can get you one also.

[woody2goody]

I think he'll be eaten alive in the Truck Series. He might have been better off in Nationwide to be honest.

Either way, i'll be interested in his progress, but don't have the high hopes I had for JPM.

IRL would be a good fit for him, maybe he'll try that next year, and he's just getting some oval experience in before the end of this season?

[bravefish]

This is a joke right ? Whats next ? Tractor pulling ?

[nigelred5]

Yawn.... His travel expenses last month would probably be more than what that one off ride cost him, in a series that won't suprize me if it doesn't answer the bell next year.

[call_me_andrew]

This is proof that the Truck Series isn't dying. It has Formula One as a feeder!

[race_director]

i am bit confused since i have nver seen a truck series. is this championship like the death race 2000. driving a truck down the road looking for people to ramm up. :)

[Mark in Oshawa]

i am bit confused since i have nver seen a truck series. is this championship like the death race 2000. driving a truck down the road looking for people to ramm up. :)

ummmmmm no.....

I think first off the team he is testing with, Red Horse just wants to take his money. Second of all, while I don't think he is quite the villian ( You do what Flavio says if you are working for him and he controls your immediate future ) that people want to paint him as, Nelson Jr. is going to be wasting his time. Racing heavy cars/trucks in NASCAR with little grip and on ovals is about as far from what he is used to as you can get. JPM was an exception to the rule since most OW guys that have come over in the last 5 years have struggled a lot or not made it. JPM, Allemendinger and Hornish have hung on, JPM has started to really rock, but look at the guys who didn't cut it: Speed ( he is lucky to still hold a ride; although admittedly he ran ok in ARCA and Truck), JV (bad team choice but...), Patrick Carpentier (good guy, might make it given a decent ride but......), Dario ('went back to the IRL), Max Papis (great guy but just not there and may never get there) and Christian Fittapaldi (showed up, finished near the back a lot...got out).

All of those guys are better on paper than Nelson Jr. All of em. This guy hasn't a hope in hell.....

[Steve2009]

This is proof that the Truck Series isn't dying. It has Formula One as a feeder! :laugh: :s mokin:
:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :s mokin:

[ShiftingGears]

i am bit confused since i have nver seen a truck series. is this championship like the death race 2000. driving a truck down the road looking for people to ramm up. :)

Yes.

[Mihai]

Possibly. But Piquet, Jr.'s overall talent level is a far cry from Montoya's.

Are you guys following motorsports since yesterday? Montoya and PQ jr have very different backgrounds: JPM has a lot of oval racing experience from his CART days and is still racing for the Ganassi team who supported him a lot since his transition to NASCAR.

Although obvious, the JPM vs PQ comparison is a bit short-minded. I would rather compare Piquet junior with Christian Fittipaldi, another high-profile former F1 driver who struggled a lot in NASCAR.

[gm99]

Are you guys following motorsports since yesterday? Montoya and PQ jr have very different backgrounds: JPM has a lot of oval racing experience from his CART days and is still racing for the Ganassi team who supported him a lot since his transition to NASCAR.

Although obvious, the JPM vs PQ comparison is a bit short-minded. I would rather compare Piquet junior with Christian Fittipaldi, another high-profile former F1 driver who struggled a lot in NASCAR.

Just that Fittipaldi had nearly 10 years of oval experience prior to coming to NASCAR through his participation in IndyCar and CART and thus definitely had more oval experience than JPM, who only raced in CART for two seasons (plus one Indy 500).

[F1boat]

I agree with people that IRL should be a better option for Nelson, as well as Superleague or return to A1GP.

[ShiftingGears]

I wish there was a proper Sportscar World Championship.

[F1boat]

I wish there was a proper Sportscar World Championship.

me too :(

[Mark]

The truck series is the equivalent of Formula 3 in the NASCAR world :s

[F1boat]

The truck series is the equivalent of Formula 3 in the NASCAR world :s

I thought that the F3 of NASCAR were some bizzare series of weird ugly tractors driving on dirt ovals...

[Lee Roy]

This freakin' guy just needs to just crawl under a rock. :down:


Who? F1boat?

[Steve2009]

Who? F1boat?
HaHAHAHAHA No The Boat man is Tits. NP= a worm :s mokin:

[Roamy]

Lee Roy
Many people don't understand passing, racing and the ability to run sustained at 200mph - But they do understand high tech parades.

I like F1 for the sheer speed in the corners. braking, and the driver are very skilled. However if one wants to see racing Nascar is the place to go. Anyone who could watch a soccer game has to love F1 i.e. a hour and a half of boredom with one pass attempt and crash.

[UltimateDanGTR]

I wish there was a proper Sportscar World Championship.

me too. alot of former lower rank or failed F1 drivers have forged good careers in LMP or GT racing, Bernoldi, Mcnish, Boullion etc. Maybe Le Mans series may have been a good bet for PK? or Indycar of course, but i cant see him suceeding in a truck. I could be wrong......

[woody2goody]

ummmmmm no.....

I think first off the team he is testing with, Red Horse just wants to take his money. Second of all, while I don't think he is quite the villian ( You do what Flavio says if you are working for him and he controls your immediate future ) that people want to paint him as, Nelson Jr. is going to be wasting his time. Racing heavy cars/trucks in NASCAR with little grip and on ovals is about as far from what he is used to as you can get. JPM was an exception to the rule since most OW guys that have come over in the last 5 years have struggled a lot or not made it. JPM, Allemendinger and Hornish have hung on, JPM has started to really rock, but look at the guys who didn't cut it: Speed ( he is lucky to still hold a ride; although admittedly he ran ok in ARCA and Truck), JV (bad team choice but...), Patrick Carpentier (good guy, might make it given a decent ride but......), Dario ('went back to the IRL), Max Papis (great guy but just not there and may never get there) and Christian Fittapaldi (showed up, finished near the back a lot...got out).

All of those guys are better on paper than Nelson Jr. All of em. This guy hasn't a hope in hell.....

Yes they are better than Piquet.

However most of the guys you listed were booted out after or have only had one season. It's very difficult to say so and so didn't cut it after one year. After two, like Piquet ironically, yes, get rid of them, however Carpentier was booted out far too soon and Speed is good, he shown flashes of being very good, and he'll get better.

[gloomyDAY]

I guess this is where all the OW dropouts are headed...

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/trucks-piquet-jr-meira-to-test-for-red-horse-racing/

[call_me_andrew]

I thought that the F3 of NASCAR were some bizzare series of weird ugly tractors driving on dirt ovals...

That's the NASCAR version of Formula Ford.

[DexDexter]

Are you guys following motorsports since yesterday? Montoya and PQ jr have very different backgrounds: JPM has a lot of oval racing experience from his CART days and is still racing for the Ganassi team who supported him a lot since his transition to NASCAR.

Although obvious, the JPM vs PQ comparison is a bit short-minded. I would rather compare Piquet junior with Christian Fittipaldi, another high-profile former F1 driver who struggled a lot in NASCAR.

Christian Fittipaldi was certainly not a high-profile F1 driver. Where on earth did you get that from?

[jens]

How would one define "high-profile" driver and why is Piquet compared to Fittipaldi? Unfair to Christian IMO. :( They are very different - Piquet got a chance in a top team (well, almost), but didn't deliver. Fittipaldi belongs to the category of those drivers, who showed well in uncompetitive cars, but never got a proper chance.

[Mihai]

Christian Fittipaldi was certainly not a high-profile F1 driver. Where on earth did you get that from?

Christian Fittipaldi was quite high-profile in the '90s. Bearing the cult-name of Fittipaldi (his uncle was champion in both F1 and IndyCar), Christian was the reigning Formula 3000 champion when he got promoted to F1, where he did quite well in underfunded teams.

Christian moved States-side directly to top-notch Newman-Hass team to partner Andretti, so believe me, he was a high-profile signing. It puzzles me why he only won once (or so) in CART, because his talent was beyond doubt. He switched to stock cars when his career was going nowhere, the same as Piquet.

[colinspooky]

i have nver seen a truck series.

220 plus posts and you have never even youtubed some highlights? Bit weird.


ANYWAY, I think this is greast news - trouble is, there are generally so many wrecks in this series, it is going to be hard for Jr to pull the same stunt as Renault. He'll need to be more inventive.

I suggest as a starter a swarm of locusts forcing red flag when his team mate is winning?

Maybe followed by bees, wasps, bears, racoons, and then plague.

[Hondo]

Dear Nelson Jr.,

You need to be aware that if you break the faith and the trust of your comrades and co-conspirators and rat them out on this side of the pond, regardless of immunity, you're gonna get your ass whupped in the parking lot. When you recover, you're gonna get your ass whupped in the parking lot. NASCAR races at a lot of tracks and they all have parking lots.

It may seem barbaric and uncouth but that's the way we are.

-Fiero

[4mula1]

nelson shouldnt pass up the irl

[Mark in Oshawa]

How would one define "high-profile" driver and why is Piquet compared to Fittipaldi? Unfair to Christian IMO. :( They are very different - Piquet got a chance in a top team (well, almost), but didn't deliver. Fittipaldi belongs to the category of those drivers, who showed well in uncompetitive cars, but never got a proper chance.

he drove for the best team In CART and never once showed any signs of being anything more than a field filler. Just like he was in f1, and was in NASCAR. Piquet Jr. will be the same if he is lucky....

[anthonyvop]

Piquet Jr. was cruzing the IRL paddock at homestead today.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Piquet Jr. was cruzing the IRL paddock at homestead today.
The man needs a job....

[anthonyvop]

The man needs a job....
Nobody is offering.

[Steve2009]

The man needs a job....
...to pay his body gaurds :confused: :grenade: :bandit: :s mokin:

[dj4monie]

You guys are unfair really... Just jokes and nothing of value to add.

Jr. was pretty quick at Le Mans paired with Brabs in a factory supported DBR9 (2006). He's shown flashes in F1, the last two Renaults have been rubbish, Alonso "willed" them to the front and to victory in 2008.

Christian wasn't as quick as Andretti overall and yes he was with the best team in CART. But wasn't ultimately able to keep his ride. He then joined a struggling Petty outfit that has trouble finishing higher than 20th usually.

Then get got booted from the AGR Acura LMP2 car, along with Herta less than 4 races in of a 10 race season (2008)

I think Nelson has at least a career in Sportscars if he wants it. Colin Brawn has done fairly well in the Truck series.

I can understand his desire to get into Cup; name another series that pays as well at Cup does currently? Jimmy Johnson's take home was more than IRL, ALMS and Grand Am purses combined. Plus in NASCAR you might get taken under the wing of one of the OEM's. He's testing with a Toyota team and like any team they want to keep fresh talent around. Also he's still very young by auto racing standards, baring any injuries he can drive for another 20+ years competitively.

What I don't understand is the outcry of fans, you wish you would see this much uproar over what your governments do...

He was asked to do something to keep his job. F1 is a sweet gig if you can get it, it pays highly (even the bad teams pay well), why do you think Sato and Davidson wants back in?

The silly season hasn't started in earnest yet, so don't bet against some IRL owner taking a flyer on him. On top of that, if De Ferran runs a 2 car team in IRL, printed several times that he's committed to fielding an entry in the ALMS in 2010 and beyond. Not to mention there will be at least one GT2 seat in the ALMS. Also USF1 could sign him.

There's lots of possibilities and all he did was do what he was told. I'm amazed by what so many of you do to keep your job and not make any waves. Especially Americans on this board, if your not getting a living wage from your employer going along with; that is just as bad as Piquet Jr doing what he did.

[Mark in Oshawa]

You guys are unfair really... Just jokes and nothing of value to add.

Jr. was pretty quick at Le Mans paired with Brabs in a factory supported DBR9 (2006). He's shown flashes in F1, the last two Renaults have been rubbish, Alonso "willed" them to the front and to victory in 2008.

Christian wasn't as quick as Andretti overall and yes he was with the best team in CART. But wasn't ultimately able to keep his ride. He then joined a struggling Petty outfit that has trouble finishing higher than 20th usually.

Then get got booted from the AGR Acura LMP2 car, along with Herta less than 4 races in of a 10 race season (2008)

I think Nelson has at least a career in Sportscars if he wants it. Colin Brawn has done fairly well in the Truck series.

I can understand his desire to get into Cup; name another series that pays as well at Cup does currently? Jimmy Johnson's take home was more than IRL, ALMS and Grand Am purses combined. Plus in NASCAR you might get taken under the wing of one of the OEM's. He's testing with a Toyota team and like any team they want to keep fresh talent around. Also he's still very young by auto racing standards, baring any injuries he can drive for another 20+ years competitively.

What I don't understand is the outcry of fans, you wish you would see this much uproar over what your governments do...

He was asked to do something to keep his job. F1 is a sweet gig if you can get it, it pays highly (even the bad teams pay well), why do you think Sato and Davidson wants back in?

The silly season hasn't started in earnest yet, so don't bet against some IRL owner taking a flyer on him. On top of that, if De Ferran runs a 2 car team in IRL, printed several times that he's committed to fielding an entry in the ALMS in 2010 and beyond. Not to mention there will be at least one GT2 seat in the ALMS. Also USF1 could sign him.

There's lots of possibilities and all he did was do what he was told. I'm amazed by what so many of you do to keep your job and not make any waves. Especially Americans on this board, if your not getting a living wage from your employer going along with; that is just as bad as Piquet Jr doing what he did.

He doesn't want to go to the IRL. He wants to go to NASCAR. I cant see him cutting it ..sorry. What he did elsewhere means nothing. He has ZERO oval experience.......and he is going to struggle. PERIOD.

[gloomyDAY]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80969

Piquet says that he decided to leave F1 even though there was an offer. I actually believe him, but if he thinks that he can come to America and leave the politics behind, good luck!

[Hondo]

Whether he made a good bargain or a poor one, he ratted out his partners because he got angry. Almost every race team plays fast and loose with the rulebook from time to time. Within NASCAR, cheating, although punished, still has a tradition of being a highly admired and innovative art.

Nobody wants a rat or a driver they can't trust on their team and that is what Piquet jr has made himself.

[gloomyDAY]

Nobody wants a rat or a driver they can't trust on their team and that is what Piquet jr has made himself.S.S.D.D.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Heck..I believe that was one of the ways Jeremy Mayfield lost his ride...calling people like Ray Evernham and Roger Penske incompetant means you have to hire yourself because no one wants you....