Billy Ballew Motorsports announced on Wednesday that Nelson Piquet Jr. will drive its No. 15 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) entry for three events this season. Piquet will pilot the Qualcomm, ArcSight Toyota Tundra at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 21, Texas Motor Speedway on June 4 and Michigan International Speedway on June 12.
It’s quite a step up for Piquet, Jr., the Brazilian-born son of three-time world champion, Nelson Piquet, who made his stock car debut in the ARCA and NCTWS at Daytona finishing 27th and sixth respectively. He drove for Renault in Formula One and is known as the whistle-blower in “Crash Gate.”
The Billy Ballew team has 17 truck victories since beginning in 1996. Seven of those wins came last year with Kyle Busch behind the wheel.
"Everyone at Billy Ballew Motorsports is very excited to have Nelson racing with us," said Ballew, in a statement. "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.
"We take a lot of pride in our program. We have a talented group of people that can help drivers reach their potential. When you're up-and-coming, you need guidance to learn how to get the most out of your truck and how you can make it better. We have a lot of experience doing that and look forward to working with talented drivers, like Nelson, who are on the rise. I think this will be a great opportunity for him."
Nelson Piquet had a ninth place finish at Texas last week in the NCWTS, his best finish in two races for Eddie Sharp Racing.
"I can't wait to get behind the wheel of a truck again," said Nelson 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.
"It's going to be a great experience to work with the 15 team. They have great people on their team and I'm excited to be working with them. "
It’s quite a step up for Piquet, Jr., the Brazilian-born son of three-time world champion, Nelson Piquet, who made his stock car debut in the ARCA and NCTWS at Daytona finishing 27th and sixth respectively. He drove for Renault in Formula One and is known as the whistle-blower in “Crash Gate.”
The Billy Ballew team has 17 truck victories since beginning in 1996. Seven of those wins came last year with Kyle Busch behind the wheel.
"Everyone at Billy Ballew Motorsports is very excited to have Nelson racing with us," said Ballew, in a statement. "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.
"We take a lot of pride in our program. We have a talented group of people that can help drivers reach their potential. When you're up-and-coming, you need guidance to learn how to get the most out of your truck and how you can make it better. We have a lot of experience doing that and look forward to working with talented drivers, like Nelson, who are on the rise. I think this will be a great opportunity for him."
Nelson Piquet had a ninth place finish at Texas last week in the NCWTS, his best finish in two races for Eddie Sharp Racing.
"I can't wait to get behind the wheel of a truck again," said Nelson 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.
"It's going to be a great experience to work with the 15 team. They have great people on their team and I'm excited to be working with them. "