CORRIDA NA MOTOR CITY (RACING IN THE MOTOR CITY): Nelson Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 Bozzano/Jontex team head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend for the rookie driver’s second appearance at the two-mile track. Piquet Jr. started the race from the 14th position and earned a top-10 finish during his first Truck Series start at the Brooklyn, Mich. facility last June.
SUCCESS IN THE IRISH HILLS: KHI has made a total of 12 starts at Michigan International Speedway over the last seven seasons. With six different drivers, KHI has earned two top-five and seven top-10 finishes while being credited with 23 laps led at the two-mile track. The 10-year veteran company has an average starting position of 11.1 and an average finishing position of 13.8.
CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 8 crew will utilize chassis No. 049 this weekend at Michigan. This chassis has been used in competition twice thus far this season, at Martinsville Speedway in April and most recently at Nashville Superspeedway when Piquet Jr. drove the entry to a fourth-place finish in July.
PREVIOUS RACE RECAP: Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 Bozzano/Jontex team made their way to Long Pond, Pa., for the Good Sam RV Emergency Roadside Service 125 on August 6. The Brazilian native qualified his KHI machine in the third position for the rain-delayed Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway and maintained position in the top 10 before misfortune found the team with a cut right-front tire. Falling as far back as 22nd, Piquet Jr. rallied to a 14th-place finish during the rookie driver’s first appearance at the 2.5-mile tri-oval.
THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Nelson Piquet Jr.
You have competed in one race at Michigan, how do you feel about returning to the track?
“I think there is an opportunity for this to be a good race. With each race I’m getting better at learning the track and how my truck handles. I raced at Michigan last season, so I have a better idea of what to expect at the track. You always have a little more confidence when you head to a track you have already competed at. I have such a great team that also wants to succeed, so I’m feeling good about this race.”
THOUGHTS FROM THE PIT BOX: Chris Carrier
What are the major characteristics of Michigan International Speedway?
“This is a track that is conducive for great racing. Michigan is a big wide, two-mile track that doesn’t have much banking in the turns. You can run just about anywhere on this track from the apron to the wall. The track is fast, as the race progresses the racing surface gets very slick and wears out tires quickly. With a track this size fuel mileage will also play a big factor in the race, but Nelson always does a great job conserving fuel when he knows it’s needed.”
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.
###