Double Duty Weekend For Nelson Piquet Jr.

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Double Duty Weekend For Nelson Piquet Jr.

The most recent NCWTS race winner, Nelson Piquet Jr. will pull double duty this weekend at Bristol. The Turner Motorsports No. 30 driver will make his second truck series start and fourth start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Piquet has already visited Victory Lane in Bristol this year during the K&N Pro Series East race in March. Crew chief, Chris Carrier led Piquet to the victory which was a special hometown win for the Bristol, VA native.

After 12 races this season, Nelson Piquet Jr. marked the 10th different winner at Michigan, becoming the first Brazilian driver to capture a truck series victory and only the second driver born outside the United States. As the 10^th different winner, this marks a new series record for most winners in the first 12 races of the season. The old mark was set in 2005 and matched in 2008.

Early ‘Wild Card’ Race For NCWTS

When the truck series hits the 0.533-mile oval of Bristol this week, it will be the debut for the series on the freshly milled surface. This will be the second short track race of the season for the series. With a tie for the lead in the championship points standings, Timothy Peters and Ty Dillon top the championship standings with 449 points apiece. Peters is the de facto leader based upon his one victory to Dillon’s none. With the top six contenders separated by only 36 points, the standings are sure to shuffle after 200 laps at the World’s Fastest half mile.

Champion Eager To Get Back Into Victory Lane

There are several drivers eager to make their way into Victory Lane this season but four-time champion Ron Hornaday Jr. is on the top of the list. As the only past winner entered in Wednesday’s, UNOH 200 Hornaday is hoping his two victories at the track give him a competitive advantage.

Three drivers that won the Bristol race went onto win the series championship – Hornaday (1998), Jack Sprague (1999) and Travis Kvapil (2003). In 12 full-time truck series seasons, Hornaday has captured at least one victory. This season, Hornaday has earned two top-five and five top-10 finishes and currently sits ninth in the championship points standings.