Charlotte, North Carolina, USA (June 2, 2010) 

Narain Karthikeyan continues to impress NASCAR and its fans as he adapts quickly to stock car racing. In his first ever race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Karthikeyan finished in 13th on the lead lap. He logged a similarly strong performance in his third race by finishing in 17th on the lead lap despite a blown engine during morning practice which caused him to start from the back of the field. Karthikeyan is looking to improve even more this Friday, June 4, at Texas Motor Speedway where he hopes to break into the top ten.

Like Charlotte Motor Speedway where Karthikeyan raced on May 21, Texas Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile oval with high banking in the turns. Racing back to back on such similar tracks should help Karthikeyan as he pilots the No. 60 Chevrolet Silverado for Starbeast Motorsports.

“I think first of all, the banking and the layout of the circuit are similar to Charlotte (Motor Speedway) which is a good thing for us since we just raced there,” said Karthikeyan. “Having said that and having spoken to Stacy (Compton, spotter & NCWTS veteran driver) and Chad (Kendrick, crew chief), they say the level of grip is a little bit less in Texas so it will be kind of interesting because obviously this is where you need to be confident with the truck, see how much you can lean on it and see how much speed you can carry through the middle of the corner to the exit. So we’ll be working on that during practice and qualifying and hopefully have it figured out for the race.”
 
Each of the tracks that Karthikeyan has raced on this season has been different in terms of length and surface type, but one thing that they have all had in common is high degrees of banking.

“Racing on banked ovals is completely different for me from the road courses that I have raced in open-wheel, and of course the trucks are very different from the single-seaters as well,” Karthikeyan said. “I am getting more comfortable with it all the more I race, but to say that I have it down after three races is impossible. I’m still learning the vehicle and the nuances of each track as we go. My goal for Texas is to continue to improve, run well and finish the race. I keep reminding myself that this is a learning season so seat time is the key – continue to get comfortable with the truck and push it, but don’t go crazy.”

Although Karthikeyan is adapting more quickly than most NASCAR rookie drivers, he is still learning on the job and each race provides him with more knowledge and puts him one step closer to victory.