Former Indy Champion Buddy Lazier to make Truck debut at Las Vegas
Quote selected text Published September 16th, 2007 in NASCAR News
Former Indianapolis 500 and Indy Racing League champion Buddy Lazier will make his NASCAR debut in the Sept. 22 Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway driving for Billy Ballew Motorsports.
Lazier has some experience in Trucks, having taken part in a test session with Ballew at Charlotte in 2005, and also competed four times at the track in the IndyCar Series with a best finish of third in 2000.
“The opportunity arose for us to race in Las Vegas and I am extremely excited. They are racers on that team and to me it’s a perfect fit, and I feel right at home with the whole team,” Lazier said.
“I’ve driven at the track in Las Vegas, but with the old configuration so I’ll be studying up on last year’s race and be looking forward to a lot of seat time during practice. Obviously, I’d love to continue racing in a top-tier NASCAR series.”
Lazier joins open wheel drivers Sam Hornish Jr., Jacques Villeneuve and Patrick Carpentier, who have started to explore NASCAR careers this season.
- Villeneuve to make CTS debut at Vegas
- Indy 500 Qualifying Lineup for Saturday
- Indy 500 Wednesday Practice Speeds
- IRL Michigan 1st Practice Times
- IRL Michigan 2nd Practice Times
Playboy Buddy going NASCAR? I like it. This guy won the Indy 500 (year of the split) with steel rods in his back. If he can do that, he can run with that stump jumper Skinner.
You really can’t blame him or any of the open wheel drivers for wanting to race NASCAR, it is the most popular motorsport in the USA.
JoeMaumee wrote:
Popular is one thing. Driving 3400 lb cars around in circles is another.
Isn’t it odd that Nascar didn’t become popular until the open-wheel and sports car series split up?
The France family has helped that along quite nicely to their benefit. They started the Daytona Prototype series, thereby guaranteeing the split will continue in sports cars.
The IRL-Champ Car split just was dumped into their lap. Of course, having a Nascar race at Indy must help them when they speak to Tony George(the idiot) about the future of Nascar. Maybe they help him financially, it would be in their best interest to do so. Tony personally funds 3 teams in the IRL, maybe they write the check. I do know, they want the splits to continue, it benefits Nascar.
Now,they can talk to sponsors about how much better their dollars would be spent in Nascar. Bigger crowds, more tv time, etc.
But, I wouldn’t get too excited, Nascar is starting to have trouble attracting sponsors. Not only for the teams, but for the Busch series too. Teams are merging and folding. TV ratings are down and attendance is down. I believe things like this are cyclical. I believe Nascar has seen it’s best days.
The problem I see with Nascar is what are they going to do to get the sponsors and fans back? They are set with the COT and the series is somewhat limited as to what you can do. Are they going to race in reverse direction? A oval is an oval.(shortening the races might help)
Some day soon, open wheel will wake up and get back together. Mario is working on that as we speak. Who is respected more in American racing then Mario Andretti? The sponsors will return and so will the crowds.
What will Nascar do? Have a playoff? Spec Cars? Guarantee starting spots for the sponsors?
They have done all that and things are slowly falling. So, seriously, how will they get the fans and sponsors back? I know how open-wheel can do it…..re-unite.
There is NO Nacsar event as fun and exciting as the Long Beach Grand Prix. There just isn’t.
wrote:
I would be concerned people may be coming over because it is popular. Does that mean when it is no longer the most popular motor sport, everyone will bail?
Believe it or not, people coming for the money is very bad for Nascar or any motor sport. It drives up the cost of operation. Now, teams MUST get top sponsors, but, what if they can’t?
That is one of the things that split open wheel in the first place. $$$$$$$ and control over $$$$$$$$$.
A Nascar split is very possible. It almost happened before and Brian France isn’t exactly making good decisions.
Nascar has been around for over fifty years and it will continue to be around. Nascar has 5o plus teams that are fully
sponsered. They only need 43.
Nascar will be fine.
That’s the worst answer to a debate I have ever heard.
They have been around for over 50 years……..and? They didn’t have Brian France running the show then. He has made more bad decisions in 3 years then his father and grandfather did in 45 years.
They may have 50 fully sponsored teams but teams now need more then one main sponsor to exist with the escalating costs. How do you tell a sponsor they get the hood one week and not the next?
Nascar may be fine, but they want the best. There is a big difference.
I guess fine might be losing tv viewers and attendance.