Jourdain's Busch switch
Champ Car World Series veteran Michel Jourdain Jr will switch from single-seaters to stock cars in 2005 after joining ppc Racing for a NASCAR Busch Series campaign
Ford Motorsports Director Dan Davis, who had already arranged a ppc test for the 28-year-old Mexican, helped broker the deal.
"I'm very excited about this chance," Jourdain said. "I've been wanting to come to NASCAR for a couple years now, and Dan Davis worked very hard with me to find the right opportunity.
"I've raced on some of the tracks - places like Fontana and Milwaukee - but a lot of them will be new for me. The key for me this year will be to finish races and get as much seat time as I can. I'd like this to be the first step to getting to the Nextel Cup."
Jourdain's signing is timely, as the Busch series will race in his homeland for the first time this season, the stock cars visiting Champ Car and former Grand Prix venue Mexico City in March. He will become the first Hispanic driver to contest a full Busch schedule.
"The fact that we've been able to get this programme together this year when the series is going to have its first race in Mexico just adds to the excitement," said Davis.
Jourdain Jr was Champ Car's youngest ever competitor when he joined the series with Scandia-Simon Racing at Long Beach in 1996. After several largely midfield seasons with the Payton-Coyne and Bettenhausen/Herdez teams, he moved to Team Rahal in 2002 and became a regular frontrunner - winning twice and challenging for the title in 2003. Rather than follow Rahal to the IRL IndyCar Series last season, Jourdain opted to stay in Champ Car with the new RuSport organisation, but he was outshone by rookie team-mate A.J. Allmendinger and dropped in favour of Justin Wilson at the end of the year. The downturn in the Mexican economy had also led to Jourdain losing the backing of sponsors Gigante.
Champ Car president Dick Eidswick said his organisation would be sad to see Jourdain go, especially after his decision not to defect to the IRL in 2004.
"We are disappointed to lose a driver of the calibre of Michel from our series and we wish him success in his new endeavour," said Eidswick. "His decision to stay in Champ Car after the departure of his former team prior to the start of the season was a key in building momentum for a successful 2004 and is something that Champ Car will always be grateful for."
Why NASCAR's most resilient driver has landed on his feet at 23XI
In a career that has had many ups and downs, Kurt Busch has been written off many times before. But facing career uncertainty after the sale of Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team, the 2004 Cup champion has found a new berth at Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan's 23XI organisation - which underlines his enduring value
The F1 nearly-man winding back the clock in NASCAR’s European cousin
A multiple F3000 race winner, Marc Goossens was on the precipice of making Formula 1 in the 1990s - but a lack of budget left him without a path to the promised land. Turning to an illustrious racing career in sportscars, Goossens left the endurance circuit to try his hand at racing stock cars - and now calls the NASCAR Euro Series home
Why a British prospect is trying to make it in NASCAR
There has never been a full-time British driver in the NASCAR Cup. But Alex Sedgwick, who is rising through the stock car ranks, wants that to change and could be a trailblazer for European talents to reach the top echelons of the NASCAR ladder
How Earnhardt’s death changed American motorsport
It's 20 years since legendary driver Dale Earnhardt Sr died at the Daytona 500, but the legacy of his crash continues today through the pioneering safety work done by NASCAR
The NASCAR subplots to keep an eye on in 2021
This weekend's Daytona 500 kickstarts a NASCAR Cup season that promises plenty of intrigue courtesy of new owners and a refreshed calendar. Here's what you need to know ahead of the new season
How a second-chance NASCAR ace is rebuilding his career
From a disgraced NASCAR exile, Kyle Larson has been given a shot at redemption by the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports squad. Replacing seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is no easy billing, but Larson has every intention of repaying the team's faith
Autosport's top 5 NASCAR machines
The American stock car scene is more famous for its close racing and occasional punch-ups, but there have been some fantastic machines too. As part of Autosport's 70th anniversary celebrations in 2020, we picked out five of its best
Why NASCAR's latest second-generation champion is just getting started
Chase Elliott's late charge to the 2020 NASCAR Cup title defied predictions that it would be a Kevin Harvick versus Denny Hamlin showdown. While the two veterans are showing no signs of slowing down, Elliott's triumph was a window into NASCAR's future
