Nelson Piquet Jr.’s victory also made him the first Brazilian to win a NASCAR national-series race. And while NASCAR may not be a sporting favorite in Brazil, Nelson’s success caused a big stir back in his homeland. Soon after taking the Coors Light Pole Award prior to the race, Piquet’s Brazilian fan base used social media to pressure local television networks to air the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sargento 200 rather than the soccer game.
“I still can’t believe it! I have been dreaming of this day since making my first NASCAR start. It feels absolutely amazing. Turner Motorsports is an unbelievable organization and I can’t thank them enough. My amazing team in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series, and everyone back at the shop made this win possible. I hope everyone recognizes that I do have the talent and the ambition to be here. I want this win to quickly translate over into racing on ovals. It’s amazing to me that I claimed a NNS victory before claiming a NCWTS one, but I’ll take it. Now I’m even more motivated and ready to go get my first win in a truck and continue to fight for the 2012 NCWTS championship.
Be sure to catch all of the action this weekend as NASCAR is in full force and under the lights at Kentucky Speedway!
- · June 28: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 7:30 PM on SPEED
- · June 29: NASCAR Nationwide Series, 7:00 PM on ESPN2
- · June 30: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, 6:30 PM on TNT