Karthikeyan to Debut in NASCAR at Martinsville

After becoming the first Indian driver in the history of Formula One racing, Narain Karthikeyan will this weekend become the first racer of Indian nationality that will compete in the famous NASCAR series. It was yesterday confirmed that he will drive for selected events in the 2010 Truck Series – tertiary series inside the North American stock car racing series – for newly formed team Starbeast Motorsports.

Karthikeyan has previously tested a stock car for Starbeast a few months ago (December), at the Daytona International Speedway, although it was an ARCA machine. The Indian will debut in the series two weekends from now, on March 27, on the oval track of Martinsville.

This will mark his first ever official outing at the wheel of a stock car on an oval track.

“The opportunity to compete in a NASCAR series is a dream come true for me. I have raced all over the world, but this is a different kind of challenge for me and I look forward to learning everything I can about racing in this environment. NASCAR is known for its passionate fans,” said Karthikeyan.

“I am excited to be introducing India to this sport and hope to help develop an equally passionate fan base there,” added the Indian racer, reckoning that his signing with a NASCAR team will boost the sport's image in his native India.

His new team also echoed those comments, as team founder Miguel Abaroa is also expecting the sport to gain some extra coverage in India.

“After his success in Formula 1, Narain has become one of India's most popular athletes and the obvious choice to introduce NASCAR to the subcontinent. His story is that of a motorsports pioneer, and this next chapter will be his most compelling,” said Abaroa.