In another move that can hardly be called surprising, Patrick Carpentier is making the jump to NASCAR.Someone should tell New Englander Jeff Simmons that the market is hot right now for open-wheel drivers over on the stock car side. So hot that, well, Patrick Carpentier can make the move straight to Cup.
Gillett Evernham Motorsports made it official on Wednesday, the former CART driver will run a full-time Sprint Cup Series schedule and part-time Nationwide Series schedule for the team in 2008. Carpentier debuted with the team by finishing 2nd in a Busch race in Montreal, following that up by leading 7 laps in the Cup race at Watkins Glen the next week.
These days, you don't have do a whole lot more than that to warrant a million-dollar Cup contract. Carpentier resume is as follows: 2 Champ Car wins, 3 CART victories and a Toyota Atlantic Championship. That's it.
Still, GEM is ready to roll Carpentier out.
“Patrick (Carpentier) has shown tremendous talent in every series he has driven throughout his career and has a bright future in NASCAR," George Gillett said in a release. "We are committed to giving Patrick the best resources and opportunities available to make this transition and we look forward to a great deal of success together both on and off the track.”
2 comments:
By my count Patrick Carpentier has won 5 times at the very top level of open wheel racing in this county. That says "talent" in my book.
1st time in a Busch car he finishes 2nd, how many of these oval wonder kids (Joey Lagano included) could be dropped into an Atlantic series car (track of their choice) and crank out a top 3?
Not very many me thinks!!!
Open wheel success nowadays doesn't count as talent because at the levels Carpentier has competed at the cars are driven by technology, not seats-of-the-pants ability. That's why these CART/F1 castoffs are getting Winston Cup rides - the technology of the cars has gotten so out of hand the teams need engineering conduits as drivers.
That's not good for the sport because there's no reason to watych engineering conduits. It's what ruined Indycars in the US in the 1980s and 90s.
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