Former Champ car star Patrick Carpentier was finalizing a deal Wednesday to drive the No. 10 Dodge for Gillett Evernham Motorsports next season.Team co-owner Alex Gillett acknowledged interest in the Canadian driver last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, and a person familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday the team was in final negotiations with Carpentier. The person requested anonymity because the contract was not yet complete.

Carpentier will replace Scott Riggs, who is leaving to drive for Haas CNC Racing next season. He’ll step into a team that has new majority ownership in George Gillett Jr., who also owns the Montreal Canadiens and is co-owner of the English Premier League club Liverpool.

He becomes the latest open-wheel driver to jump to NASCAR, and will join a Dodge camp that already has Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti in Avengers for next season. Former Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve will drive a Toyota next season, and Scott Speed will race a Toyota in the ARCA Series.

Carpentier, a Quebec native, is a perfect fit for the Gillett family. Alex Gillett acknowledged before Sunday’s race at Talladega that Carpentier could attract Canadian businesses to NASCAR, including a primary sponsor for the No. 10.

Carpentier has driven in only one Nextel Cup race and two Busch Series events, all on road courses. The No. 10 is currently outside the top 35 in owner points, and Riggs has failed to qualify for seven events, including Sunday’s race at Talladega.

It creates a tricky situation for Carpentier because if the car isn’t locked into the field and misses races, Carpentier won’t get the experience he’d need to race it inside the top 35 in points.

Gillett acknowledged the difficulties Carpentier could face.

“Like all of these new guys, there is going to be a learning curve in regards to … if you bring them into this sport, how do you bring them in properly?” he said. “I’m not sure you take somebody like Patrick Carpentier and throw them right into Nextel Cup.”

Carpentier remains attractive because the team can court Canadian companies to sponsor the car.

[via AP]

Topics: NASCAR, Sports, General |

Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« | Home | Hudson’s Jumper Lifts Warriors Over Lakers »