CORRIDAS NO ESTADO PEACH (RACING IN THE PEACH STATE): Nelson Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 Autotrac/Qualcomm team head into uncharted territory this week when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes its way to the Peach State. The rookie driver will make his first Truck Series appearance at Atlanta Motor Speedway this Friday evening, while racing under the lights during the Atlanta 200.
NOT JUST RACING FOR PEACHES: Eight different drivers have competed in a Truck Series event at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) equipment over the last seven seasons. With 18 starts at the 1.54-mile oval, KHI has collected 3 poles (2010, 2008 and 2007), 3 wins (2010, 2008 and 2005), nine top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. The company has been credited with leading 465 laps at the track.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 8 team will unload chassis No. 054 this Friday night in Atlanta. Piquet Jr. used this chassis in competition at Kansas Speedway in June, where the Brazilian native earned his second top-10 finish of the season. Most recently, this chassis was utilized during the race at Kentucky Speedway in July.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Piquet Jr. headed to Bristol, Tenn. with his No. 8 Qualcomm/Autotrac team for the Truck Series’ midweek showdown at Bristol Motor Speedway last Wednesday evening. Making his first start at the .533-mile concrete track, the rookie driver qualified the KHI Chevrolet Silverado on the outside pole and survived a caution-filled night to finish in the eighth position.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Nelson Piquet Jr.
How are you feeling about your first race at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
“Racing in Atlanta should be a lot of fun. It is an intermediate-style track which I seem to do quite well with. The team and I have built some great momentum as we head into the second half of the season, so I’m confident that we could do quite well at Atlanta.”
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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