Former F1 driver, Miko Salo, supposedly will test for Michael Waltrip Racing in one of the team’s Toyota Camry Sprint Cup cars at an undisclosed venue at some point in November. The 42-year-old former grand prix driver has been racing in sportscars since the end of his Formula 1 career in 2002 and won the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series in 2007. He has had a seat fitting with Michael Waltrip Racing. “It will be great to get to test a NASCAR at last,” Salo told this week’s AUTOSPORT magazine. “After two years of trying, I finally met the person who could make it happen. Racing sportscars in the US has definitely helped. My hope next year is that I can do some races in Nationwide, maybe even a full season – but I understand that I may have to raise some money to make it happen.”(Autosport)(10-2-2009)
UPDATE: Michael Waltrip Racing will test Jarno Trulli and Mika Salo at International Speedway in Lakeland, Fl., the week prior to the NASCAR season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway. Trulli, 35, currently drives for Toyota in Formula One. He finished second last week in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka and is currently eighth in the World Championship. Trulli’s sole F1 win came at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix in 2004 while driving for Renault. After Trulli completes the F1 season on November 1 at Abu Dhabi, he will be fitted for his seat at MWR then join the organization to observe for the final three races. Trulli dropped in at Michigan Speedway last June to watch the Sprint Cup race. With the current uncertainty surrounding Toyota’s future in F1, it appears that Trulli is considering stock cars as a viable option. Salo, 42, competed in F1 from 1994 to 2002 and posted two podium finishes. In 2007, Salo won the GT2 class of the American Le Mans Series. He currently competes for a team that MWR co-owner Rob Kauffman has an interest in Europe.(FoxSports)(10-7-2009)
