After announcing the end of his career a year ago, Patrick Carpentier will come out of retirement to contend the NAPA Auto Parts 200 at the circuit Gilles Villeneuve on August 18th.
Carpentier suffered a late race mechanical failure and finished 32nd in his home race in 2011. With the disappointment from last year, Carpentier did not hesitate to say yes when he got the call to compete in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series race across the northern border of the US. The five time CART winner will drive for Michael Waltrip Racing in the #99 NAPA Toyota Camry entered by RAB Racing.
The NAPA Auto Parts 200 has been held since 2007 and in its short history has produced exciting races for the Canadian NASCAR fans. The first ever NASCAR sanctioned race to compete in the rain was held at the Canadian track in 2008, with the fans being excited by a Canadian victor in Ron Fellows.
A year earlier, in 2007, Robby Gordon and Marcos Ambrose dueled with a handful of laps to go, making contact twice and resulting in Gordon being excluded from the next day’s Sprint Cup Race in Pocono. Three out of the five races since the inaugural 2007 race have produced a green-white-checker finish (2007, 2009, and 2010.)
Success hasn’t completely eluded Carpentier in a race that is one of his favorites. In 2007, he sat on the pole and was running 2nd by the time the checkered flag flew. The following year Carpentier qualified 4th and grabbed another 2nd place finish. The next two seasons saw the MWR driver experience bad luck in Canada with his string of results being 38th and 32nd in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
With Canadian fans heavily supporting all their drivers, Carpentier can expect thunderous applause each lap he takes around the man-made island along the St. Lawrence River.
Other Canadian crowd favorites will be Ron Fellows and 1997 Formula One World Champion Jacques Villesneuve.
