Kevin Harvick Inc. (welcomes Nelson Piquet Jr. to the team’s family of drivers in 2011. The 25-year-old Brazilian, who is the son of three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet, transitioned from open-wheel racing to NASCAR in 2010 when he made his Truck Series debut at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Piquet Jr. will get behind the wheel as full-time driver of KHI’s newest entry, the No. 8 Qualcomm Chevrolet Silverado, in pursuit of 2011 Rookie of the Year honors. NASCAR veteran Chris Carrier has come aboard to lead Piquet Jr. and the No. 8 team in 2011. Coming to KHI from Penske Racing’s driver development team, Carrier brings over 30 years of NASCAR experience to the team and has earned wins as a crew chief in each of NASCAR’s top three series. The No. 8 Chevrolet Silverado will carry a very special message on the truck’s tonneau cover this weekend in Daytona. The truck bed will feature a decal in memory of the victims of last month’s devastating flood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The flood and subsequent mudslides that hit the mountainous region of eastern Brazil is considered the country’s worst natural disaster for several decades, killing nearly 1,000 people. KHI hopes to add another achievement to the team’s long list of accolades when the trucks hit the track at DIS. KHI has scored Truck Series victories at all but eight tracks currently on the schedule, with Daytona being one of the places that has eluded the team in the Truck Series.(Kevin Harvick Inc. PR)(2-14-2011)
