Name: Nelson Piquet
Date of Birth: July 25, 1985
Nationality: Brazilian
To begin our series on development drivers in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, we will focus on 2010 newcomer Nelson Piquet, the 24-year-old son of three-time Formula One World Champion Nelson Piquet Sr.
A promising young talent, Piquet made his ARCA debut in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway, finishing a disappointing 27th after a strong start.
Having a family lineage in racing, Piquet got an early start behind the wheel of a racecar. From 1993 until 2001, Piquet ran for his father in Brazilian karting among other motorsports series and then advanced to Formula Three Sudamericana, earning numerous wins and championships.
In 2003, Piquet formed his own team, Piquet Sports, and joined the British Formula Three Championship. In 2004, Piquet became the series' youngest champion at 19 years and 2 months of age.
Piquet participated in the A1 Grand Prix for A1 Team Brazil in 2005, as well as the GP2 Series for HiTech/Piquet Sports. The following season he finished second in the championship standings to British driver Lewis Hamilton.
Running as an F1 test driver in 2007, Piquet earned the right to race 28 events for Renault F1 in 2008 and 2009, with his best result coming at the 2008 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim where he finished on the podium in second place. His five points scoring finishes that season helped the team finish fourth in the constructors' championship and secured his position with the team for 2009.
In 2010, Piquet made the decision to attempt racing in stock cars, which led to his ARCA Racing Series debut at Daytona, running for Eddie Sharp Racing. Piquet also made his NASCAR debut at Daytona, running in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Red Horse Racing. In his first truck race, Piquet was managed to score a sixth place finish, becoming the first Brazilian driver to finish in the top-ten in series history.
Piquet will continue to develop his skills in 3,400 pound stock cars, competing in several ARCA events for ESR over the course of the season. He will also participate in a limited schedule in the Truck Series with Red Horse Racing.
"Running the ARCA race was a great education for me," said Piquet, Jr. "There are very few similarities between open-wheel and stock cars, and that was evident to me during the first practice. I had such a great time participating in my first ARCA event, and I am very dedicated to doing whatever it takes to be successful in stock car racing."
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