And now Buddy Lazier is set to race the tin tops. Sure, he hasn't been a series regular for a couple of years and this is just a one-off for the time being, but did this news have to come THIS week?
Former Indianapolis 500 and Indy Racing League champion Buddy Lazier will make his NASCAR debut in the Sept. 22 Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway driving for Billy Ballew Motorsports.Can Gil de Ferran be far behind? I mean, good gracious. It's getting to the point that "N-word" chairman Brian France may soon start greeting Indy 500 champions in Victory Circle.
“The opportunity arose for us to race in Las Vegas and I am extremely excited. They are racers on that team and to me it’s a perfect fit, and I feel right at home with the whole team,” Lazier said.
“I’ve driven at the track in Las Vegas, but with the old configuration so I’ll be studying up on last year’s race and be looking forward to a lot of seat time during practice. Obviously, I’d love to continue racing in a top-tier NASCAR series.” (MORE from ThatsRacing.com)
This is maybe a little bit of over-reaction. A one shot deal in the truck series for a driver who's a bit "past it" in open wheel terms isn't cause for alarm. More like a poorly-planned publicity stunt on the part of Mr. Lazier/BBM.