Nelson Piquet Jr is the first to admit that driving a NASCAR Nationwide Car is nothing like driving a Formula One car at Watkins Glen.
Yet he viewed his baptism of fire, stepping up one stock car category, as a success.
While he’d been racing in the Camping World Truck Series, moving up to the Nationwide Series was like playing triple-A baseball heading up to the big leagues.
The Brazilian-born son, of Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet Sr., said “I think a lot of people expected me to be successful this weekend because this was a road course race and I was an open-wheel driver.”
He admits that his own preparation was somewhat challenging.
“It really was a complicated weekend. I had just one practice to learn a new track, in a new car with a new team. It was a lot different than I expected. Once I got on the track in practice, I knew I had to run as many laps as possible and try to learn as much as I could in the two hours.”
Driving a car more than three-time the weight of an Formula 1 machine he bobbed and weaved his way through a ten-car pile up with nary a scratch on a fender.
When his crew chief radioed to ask if his stock car was damaged, Piquet Jr. responded, “I am magic man, I did not hit anything!”
In a race which claimed many stock car veterans; Piquet soldiered on and finished seventh in his unplanned and debut race.
“I wasn’t prepared to do any Nationwide Series races this season, but Baker Curb Racing provided me with a great opportunity. I love new challenges and I think when all was said and done, I lived up to the challenge.”
Yet he viewed his baptism of fire, stepping up one stock car category, as a success.
While he’d been racing in the Camping World Truck Series, moving up to the Nationwide Series was like playing triple-A baseball heading up to the big leagues.
The Brazilian-born son, of Formula 1 World Champion Nelson Piquet Sr., said “I think a lot of people expected me to be successful this weekend because this was a road course race and I was an open-wheel driver.”
He admits that his own preparation was somewhat challenging.
“It really was a complicated weekend. I had just one practice to learn a new track, in a new car with a new team. It was a lot different than I expected. Once I got on the track in practice, I knew I had to run as many laps as possible and try to learn as much as I could in the two hours.”
Driving a car more than three-time the weight of an Formula 1 machine he bobbed and weaved his way through a ten-car pile up with nary a scratch on a fender.
When his crew chief radioed to ask if his stock car was damaged, Piquet Jr. responded, “I am magic man, I did not hit anything!”
In a race which claimed many stock car veterans; Piquet soldiered on and finished seventh in his unplanned and debut race.
“I wasn’t prepared to do any Nationwide Series races this season, but Baker Curb Racing provided me with a great opportunity. I love new challenges and I think when all was said and done, I lived up to the challenge.”