ENCONTRAT A VELOCIDADE NO SUL PROFUNDO (FINDING SPEED IN THE DEEP SOUTH): Nelson Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) team are heading to Alabama to take another shot at superspeedway racing this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. The Saturday afternoon race will be the Brazilian native’s first start at the 2.66-mile track.
SUPERSPEEDWAY STATISTICS: During the span of five seasons, KHI has fielded nine Truck Series entries at Talladega. In those nine starts KHI has collected one pole (Ron Hornaday, 2010), one top-five and three top-10 finishes and has been credited with leading 50 laps at the 2.66-mile track.
CHASSIS HISTORY: When the No. 8 team will unload chassis No. 055 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This superspeedway chassis has been utilized in competition once this season during the February Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway where the rookie driver finished 27th after starting the race from the 35th position.
MOST POPULAR DRIVER: Voting is still open for the NASCAR Truck Series Most Popular Driver. NASCAR fans can log onto www.nascar.com to cast their vote for Piquet Jr. as the 2011 Truck Series Most Popular Driver. Voting is underway and will continue until November 17. Fans can vote once daily until the end of the contest.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 KHI team headed out west with the Truck Series for the Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 15. Starting from the seventh position, the Brazilian native overcame front-end damage, a pit road penalty and a two lap deficit to cross the finish line sixth. The top-10 finish earned Piquet Jr. honors of being the highest finishing rookie driver of the race.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Nelson Piquet Jr.
What are your thoughts on racing at Talladega Superspeedway?
“Talladega should be a good race for the No. 8 team. We didn’t do as well as we would have liked in our first superspeedway appearance this season, but with the momentum and experience we have gained since then, I feel like we have what it takes to earn a solid finish. I have high hopes going into the race. Talladega is a very fast track and should really fit my driving style.”
Media Access: Members of the media can now log on to www.kevinharvickinc.com to gain access to press kit information online. For more information, please email Jill Frischmann at jfrischmann@kevinharvickinc.com.
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