Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Piquet to enter trio of Truck races

Piquet to enter trio of Truck races

Nelson Piquet Jr will race three times in the NASCAR Truck Series in the coming weeks.

The former grand prix driver will contest the Charlotte (May 21), Texas (June 4) and Michigan (June 12) rounds of the series with Billy Ballew Motorsports.

Piquet raced in the truck event at Daytona, as well as the ARCA feeder series at Daytona and Texas.

"I can't wait to get behind the wheel of a truck again," said Piquet. "I really enjoyed racing at Daytona and learned a lot. I gain a better understanding of how these trucks handle with each lap I take.

"These upcoming races will be exactly what I need to continue growing as a driver. The team have great people and I'm excited to be working with them."

Team boss Billy Ballew added: "Everyone is very excited to have Nelson racing with us. He's obviously an incredibly talented driver. I think these three races will give him some valuable seat time, which is just what he needs to continue developing his abilities.

"He did very well at Daytona earlier this year and showed that he has a good feel for stock car racing. The more time he has to get acclimated to these vehicles, the better he's going to do. I think this will be a great opportunity for him."

Piquet is expected to be on double-duty at Michigan, racing in ARCA again for series champions Eddie Sharp Racing.

Ballew's #15 Toyota Tundra, which Piquet will drive in trucks, is being shared by a number of drivers this year, including former Truck Series champion Johnny Benson and Steven Wallace.

Piquet finished sixth in his maiden truck race at Daytona this year, and was ninth after starting from pole in his second ARCA outing last weekend at Texas.

Primera Liga Round-upPiquet to enter trio of Truck races