Papis to test Winston Cup car

The 32-year-old has lost his drive at Team Rahal for 2002 and is weighing up his options at the moment. Although he is talking to CART and Indy Racing League teams, Papis has jumped at the chance to get behind the wheel of a NASCAR racer.

The Italian will drive a Ford Taurus run by PPI Motorsports, the team he used to race for in CART before he joined Rahal.

"It is more of an exploration, but it is something I am considering for my long-term future," said Papis. "I feel that for a European guy to be sitting in a totally American world would be something very special. That's why I want to test the car."

Papis could take in some secondary division NASCAR Busch series races next year. He would also like to have a go at the Winston Cup road course rounds, if he can find a drive.

The last non-American driver to race in the Winston Cup was Australian Geoff Brabham, who competed in the 1994 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

For Max Papis' story of how he lost his Team Rahal drive, see this week's AUTOSPORT magazine, on sale today (Thursday).