Turner Scott Motorsports announced today that Nelson Piquet Jr., the first Brazilian to win in one of NASCAR’s top-three series, will run full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) in 2013. The 27-year-old will pilot the No. 30 Chevrolet Camaro, marking his first full-time NNS season and making him the first Brazilian to compete full time at the Nationwide level. Piquet Jr. will continue his long-standing relationship with crew chief Chris Carrier, who will lead the No. 30 team from atop the pit box. Piquet Jr. will also extend his partnerships with Qualcomm, Autotrac and TAG Heuer Eyewear, while welcoming Worx and Delavaco Capital Inc. on board as new sponsors in 2013.
Piquet Jr. has competed in a total of four NNS events, earning a top-10 in his series debut at Watkins Glen International in 2010. The Brasilia, Brazil native earned his first NNS pole and win at Road America in 2012, only his third start in the series. The event also secured Piquet Jr. as the first Brazilian to win a Nationwide pole, as well as the first Brazilian to win in one of NASCAR’s top-three series.
The son of three-time Formula One champion Nelson Piquet, Piquet Jr. made his NASCAR debut in the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) season-opener at Daytona International Speedway, where he earned an impressive sixth-place finish. After competing in five races that season, Piquet Jr. added two full-time NCWTS seasons to his resume, the second of which was with Turner Scott Motorsports. In 52 career NCWTS starts, Piquet Jr. has tallied two wins (Michigan International Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2012), 15 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. Piquet Jr. also has one NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win at Bristol Motor Speedway, which he scored in March of 2012, earning him the title of the first foreign-born driver to win at the Tennessee short track.
“I am very happy to be returning with Turner Scott Motorsports in 2013, and incredibly excited to be making the move to the NASCAR Nationwide Series” said Piquet Jr. “I said from the very beginning of my NASCAR career that I wanted to go about it the right way and progress through the ranks when the time was right; that I wouldn’t rush. I feel that 2012 was a really fantastic season for me and it provided me with the opportunity to go to the next level. I’m very excited about the challenge of the Nationwide Series, and I know that I’m going to be doing it running for one of the best teams in the sport. I’m very grateful to Turner Scott Motorsports and our new partners that have come on board to make this full-time Nationwide season possible.”
“We are proud to continue our relationship with Nelson [Piquet Jr.] in 2013, and we are pleased to be the team where he will take his career to the next level,” said team co-owner Harry Scott Jr. “Nelson was tremendously successful last season and he has proven to be an asset to Turner Scott Motorsports. He and Chris Carrier are a really good match, and we’re glad we can give them a chance to bring that chemistry to the Nationwide Series. We have what is arguably the strongest lineup our Nationwide program has ever had, and we feel very confident that Turner Scott Motorsports will be hoisting the trophy in Homestead.”
The NASCAR Nationwide Series season kicks off on Saturday, February 23rd with the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway where Worx will debut as primary sponsor of the No. 30 Chevrolet.
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