A MILHA MONSTRO (THE MONSTER MILE): Nelson Piquet Jr. will head to Dover (Del.) International Speedway in the No. 8 Autotrac Chevrolet Silverado as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hits the sixth event of the season. Piquet Jr. will face the one-mile oval for the first time, his fifth-consecutive track this season in which he has no previous starts. The track, coined as the “Monster Mile” for the it’s toughness on man and machine, features an all-concrete surface, comparable to the surface at Nashville Superspeedway.
BUILDING MOMENTUM: Piquet Jr. is coming off his career-best finish of second at Nashville Superspeedway, besting his sixth-place finish in his Truck Series debut at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in 2010. Piquet Jr. is also coming off his career-best qualifying effort of fourth at Nashville. The No. 8 Autotrac team hopes to keep their momentum going as the Truck Series heads to Dover, a similar track to the 1.366-mile concrete oval of Nashville.
POINT TAKEN: Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 team had a good run at Nashville, which calculated a good day in the points standings. With race winner Kyle Busch being ineligible to receive Truck Series driver championship points, Piquet Jr. was the highest scorer of the day with 42. The high-scoring night helped the Brazilian driver jump up eight spots in the Drivers Points standings to the 17th position, 71 points shy of leader Johnny Sauter. Piquet Jr. also climbed up the Rookie of the Year standings to the third position, up five places from the previous week.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 8 team will utilize chassis No. 048 at Dover International Speedway this weekend. This is the same chassis Piquet Jr. drove at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, where he fell victim to the Lady in Black and finished 32nd. The team rebuilt most of the body, including the front and rear frame. This is also the same chassis Piquet Jr. drove to a 13th-place finish earlier this season at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Last season, Harvick won the pole and visited victory lane in the truck’s debut at Gateway (Ill.) International Raceway.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Piquet Jr. had a career weekend at Nashville Superspeedway in the Truck Series event bringing home a second-place finish. Competing for the first time on a concrete surface, Piquet Jr. earned his highest starting position of his NASCAR career when he qualified in the fourth position. Momentum continued through to race time, and when the green flag dropped, Piquet Jr. was ready to compete to the finish. Battling in the top-10 most of the race, Piquet Jr. made his way into the top-five with less than 25 laps remaining. A late-race caution set the field up for a three-lap shootout. In an exciting last lap, Piquet Jr. was able to capitalize and pass Timothy Peters and KHI teammate Ron Hornaday to finish in the second position behind winner Kyle Busch.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Nelson Piquet Jr.
How do you feel going into the race at Dover International Speedway?
“I think that our successful run last race at Nashville Superspeedway will help propel us this weekend at Dover. We have had some bad luck this year, and a steep learning curve. The Nashville race really was special, and I’m hoping that we can keep that momentum going this weekend at Dover. I have not raced at Dover before, but I’m going to try to learn more about the track and the truck each lap. A lot like Nashville, it’s going to be important to get our speed up in practice right from the start. I have confidence in our team and crew chief Chris Carrier that we will continue to get better each week.”
THOUGHTS FROM THE PIT BOX: Chris Carrier
What are the major characteristics of Dover International Speedway?
“Dover is a really fun track, but it is difficult. The high banking all the way around the track, even on the straightaways, produces high speeds all weekend. It’s difficult to take care of the truck, and the track can certainly chew up vehicles, which is why it’s called the “Monster Mile.” You really have to take care of the right front tire because of all of the force on the right side.”
What are the keys to success at Dover?
“I encouraged Nelson to take the same approach he did when we went to Nashville: be patient, find your line and use good judgment. I think he did a really great job of being patient from the start of practice, especially being his first laps on the track. I think that our team has a lot to look forward to, especially going into Dover and Charlotte Motor Speedway. I think this track really lends itself to Nelson’s style. Coming off our second-place finish at Nashville, I think that we are really looking to nurture the momentum our program has and go out there and do it again.”
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Fast Facts:
Nelson Piquet Jr.
Truck Series results at
Dover International Speedway
-No Previous Starts-
Race Info:
May 13, 2011
Dover International Speedway
1-mile Oval
Lucas Oil 200
200 Laps / 200 Miles
Broadcast Info:
TV: SPEED will broadcast on delay
at 8:30 p.m. ET
Radio: The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – Channel 90 will broadcast live at 5 p.m. ET
Truck Specs:
Chassis: 048
Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR)