F1: Piquet Looks To Revive Career In NASCAR

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F1: Piquet Looks To Revive Career In NASCAR

Nelson Piquet Jr looks set to turn to the world of American NASCAR racing to revive his disgraced motor racing career...

SPEED Staff | Posted October 04, 2009 Charlotte, NC

Renault fired Nelson Piquet earlier this year, and he then triggered the crash-gate scandal by admitting to crashing deliberately in Singapore last September. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Nelson Piquet Jr., who became the source of a recent scandal known as ‘crash-gate’, will be testing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with an eye towards a future in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series with in two years.

Piquet Jr., will get behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra for Red Horse Racing on October 12th. He is expected in the team’s Mooresville North Carolina shop Monday for a seat fitting.

The Renault F1 team fired the 23-year-old Brazilian earlier this season for underperformance. Shortly after details emerged that Piquet had been ordered to cause a crash in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix that allowed his teammate Fernando Alonso to win.

After an investigation and hearing, Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, held a hearing and banned Renault F1’s team boss Flavio Briatore for life and the team’s technical engineer Pat Symonds for five years. They also placed the team on a ‘suspended ban’ for two years.

Piquet Jr., was given immunity from sanctions in exchange for his testimony and many in Formula One now consider the son of two time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet to be ‘damaged goods’.

"I think on his performance, to be honest, disregarding the (Singapore) issue, I probably would not give him a drive and I would probably be further influenced in that decision by what took place," said Toyota's John Howett at Suzuka site of this past weekends Japanese Grand Prix.

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