Piquet Jr. to make stock car debut at Daytona

New York: Brazilian driver Nelson Piquet Jr., who was at the center of a major Formula One scandal last year, will make his stock car debut next month at the Daytona International Speedway, he said.

Piquet Jr., son of three-times Formula One world champion driver Nelson Piquet, will make his debut in a 200-mile race which will also be the first stock car event for Danica Patrick, the only woman to win an IndyCar event. Piquet Jr. will drive the No. 6 Toyota car fielded by Eddie Sharp Racing on Feb. 6 in the Automobile Racing Club of America event. ARCA is a minor league with NASCAR-type cars."I`m very excited. I can`t wait to reach 200 mph side-by-side and rubbing paint," Piquet said in a statement. "The plans for the season are coming together really well ... I can`t wait to get out on track."The 24-year-old Brazilian triggered one of Formula One`s biggest scandals last year after being dropped by his Renault team when he told the sport`s governing body he had crashed deliberately in the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix to help team mate Fernando Alonso win. Bureau Report