Why did Nelson Piquet Jr step away from NASCAR? Details explored as Daniel Suarez's wife champions for his return
Daniel Suarez's wife Julia Piquet shared heartfelt plea on social media calling for her brother Nelson Piquet Jr.'s return to NASCAR. The second generation racer stepped away from the sport after his last outing in the Xfinity Series in 2016.
Piquet Jr., the son of three-time Formula 1 champion Nelson Piquet, entered NASCAR in 2010 after a brief stint in F1. Starting with a part-time season in the Camping World Truck Series, the Brazilian driver secured an impressive sixth place finish in his debut at Daytona.
In 2011, Piquet Jr. earned a full-time drive in the Truck Series and competed in the Xfinity Series the next year, where he secured his first NASCAR win at Road America, becoming the first Brazilian to achieve the feat.
After his first full time season in the 2013 Xfinity Series, Piquet lost his seat due to a lack of sponsorship backing. However, he continued to make one-off appearances, including his Cup Series debut in 2014 at Watkins Glen International.
In an Instagram story, Julia Piquet shared a throwback clip of her brother competing in the Truck Series, captioning it with a hearfelt call for his return.
"Petition to get my brother back in a NASCAR ride🥹," Julia wrote.
Ahead of his last appearance at the 2016 Xfinity race at Mid-Ohio, Piquet Jr. opened up about the barriers that eventually pushed him out of the sport.
"Unfortunately, it’s very hard for a foreigner to make a long career here – it’s very hard to get sponsors. Usually, in my view, NASCAR is not too big on bringing people from outside of the country, so it was hard for me and I couldn’t stay here. If I had the support I would’ve stayed in NASCAR, because I love the sport, and I love the guys over here," he said. (via Motorsport.com)
In 2014, Nelson Piquet Jr. transitioned to a full time ride in the inaugural Formula E season and went on to secure the championship title. He competes in the TCR South America Series with Squadra Martino.
Julia Piquet shares her pride in husband Daniel Suarez's hometown debut
Julia Piquet, in an Instagram story, celebrating a special paint scheme for Daniel Suarez's homecoming race in Mexico.
On April 15, Suarez revealed a special blue and white livery for his outing at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. The race marked NASCAR's inaugural event outisde the United States, along with the Trackhouse Racing driver's debut on home turf.
In an Instagram story, Julia shared an inside peek of Suarez's photoshoot with the new paint scheme. She captioned it:
"So proud of you @danielsuarez"
Daniel Suarez heads into his next race at Talladega superspeedway with 151 points and a 27th spot in the drivers' standings.