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Nelson Piquet Jr. No. 8 Truck Series Advance: Texas Motor Speedway

06/06/11

No. 8 Bozzano/Jontex Chevrolet Silverado
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race 9 of 25 – Texas Motor Speedway

O ESTADO DA ESTRELA SOLITÁRIA (THE LONESTAR STATE): Nelson Piquet Jr. will head to Texas Motor Speedway for his second-career start at the 1.5-mile track in the Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) No. 8 Bozzano/Jontex Chevrolet Silverado. In 2010, Piquet Jr. debuted at the Fort Worth, Texas speedway for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race where he started in the 14th position and finished in eighth place.

KHI WRANGLES AT TEXAS: KHI teams have successfully found their way around the Fort Worth, Texas track. With 20 Truck Series starts since the beginning of the 2004 season, KHI teams have collected seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Ron Hornaday is credited with the organization’s two wins, both coming in 2008.

TOUCHDOWN: Prior to the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250, the No. 8 team will have the opportunity to tour Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas. The stadium, completed in 2009, has a capacity of 110,000 people, and is home to the Dallas Cowboys NFL team. 

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 8 team will utilize the No. 051 chassis this weekend at Texas for the third time this season. The team competed with this truck at Nashville Superspeedway in April, where Piquet Jr. earned his career-best qualifying position (4th) and finish (2nd). The team also used this truck at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May where a last-lap incident relegated the team to a 21st-place finish. KHI teammate Ron Hornaday has competed in this truck this season as well, bringing home a third-place finish at Phoenix International Raceway and a runner-up finish at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: The No. 8 Bozzano/Jontex team headed to Kansas Speedway last week looking for a solid finish at the 1.5-mile track. Piquet Jr. qualified in the fourth position, tying his career-best qualifying effort he earned at Nashville Superspeedway in April. As the green-flag dropped for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250, Piquet Jr. raced consistently in the top-10. On lap 74, Piquet Jr. made contact with another truck, causing him to spin across the frontstretch and infield, but escaped major damage. The No. 8 crew was able to get the Chevrolet Silverado back on track quickly, and Piquet Jr. fought his way to an eighth-place finish at the Kansas City track.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Nelson Piquet Jr.
How do you feel going into the race at Texas Motor Speedway?
“I’m excited to get to Texas. I have competed in two races at the track. The first time was in the ARCA Racing Series last year, where I started on the pole when qualifying was rained out. It was great to start up front, and I got a good feel for the track. I also raced in the Truck Series last season at Texas, and scored a top-10 finish, which was exciting. Our 1.5-mile program has been pretty good throughout the season, and I think we can go out and have a good run this week.”

THOUGHTS FROM THE PIT BOX: Chris Carrier
What are the major characteristics of Texas Motor Speedway?
“Texas is such a fast track. The track is a lot like Charlotte Motor Speedway. There are narrow sections, so you have to use the whole track and the speed is much higher. The track has a lot of character with the banking and grip, and especially the bumps. Coming off turn two, there is a bump that can surprise some drivers.”

What are the keys to success at Texas Motor Speedway?
“Nelson competed here last year, so it gives us a great opportunity. It’s great that Nelson has competed here in the past; it gives him confidence right off the bat. He’s has been there, he knows the track, and we can unload and go right into practice with laps already under his belt. Nelson is comfortable with the track, and we are confident we are going to have a good race.” 

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Fast Facts:

Nelson Piquet Jr.
Truck Series results at
Texas Motor Speedway
Starts: 1
Poles: 0
Top-5s: 0
Top-10s: 1
Start: 14
Finish: 8

Race Info:
June 10, 2011
Texas Motor Speedway
WinStar World Casino 400k
167 Laps / 250.5 Miles

Broadcast Info:
TV: SPEED will broadcast live at
8 p.m. CT
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – Channel 90 will broadcast live at 7:45 p.m. CT

Truck Specs:
Chassis: 051
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)


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