Miami, Fla. (August 9, 2006) – 2004 Grand Am Rolex Series Champion, Max Papis, is ready for his NASCAR debut at Watkins Glen this weekend. He has had a busy couple weeks, as he ran the Grand Am race in Alabama, tested both the Busch Series and Nextel Cup cars at Virginia International Raceway and he just became a father for the first time when his wife, Tatiana, gave birth to their first child, a son, Marco, on Friday, July 21st.
“I’m looking forward to being out there on the race track. I have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but I will enjoy the challenge,” Papis said from his home on Wednesday. “I’m excited about getting in the Sport Clips Busch Series car and the Furniture Row Nextel Cup car on Friday and getting practice time. The key is to get comfortable with the car and testing both cars last week helped a lot, so we should hit the ground running when we get to the Glen.”
He continued, "I'm proud to be the first Italian in the modern era to debut in NASCAR and represent my country, Italy. I want to thank Sport Clips and McGill Motorsports for the Busch Series opportunity and Furniture Row for the Nextel Cup ride."
The open-wheel and sports-car racing sensation will make his NASCAR debut this Saturday, August 12th in the NASCAR Busch Series race, piloting the #36 McGill Motorsports Chevrolet, with sponsorship from his Indy 500 sponsor, Sport Clips, All*Star Haircuts for Men & Boys. He will follow that up with his debut in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series on Sunday, August 13th in the #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet.
Sport Clips also sponsored Max Papis in the Indianapolis 500 in May and Sport Clips Founder and CEO, Gordon Logan, was excited at another opportunity to partner with him.
“Sport Clips is proud to partner with Max Papis for the second time this year,” Logan said. “We had a great experience with Max in the Indy 500 and we’re proud to be able to support him in his NASCAR debut. We have always looked for first-class teams and drivers to represent Sport Clips, and this is a winning combination. Our 200+ Franchisees and 3,500 Stylists are looking forward to seeing the Sport Clips Car in Watkins Glen.”
A native of Como, Italy, Papis moved up the ladder of European formulas during his late teens and early 20s before finding a Formula One test ride with Lotus and Honda in 1994. The following year, he competed in seven Formula One races with Arrows.
In 1996, Papis posted three wins in IMSA World Sports Car, then joined CART, where he won three races in five years. Since then, Papis has been one of the top competitors in American sports-car racing. He posted an overall win at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2002, a Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series championship in 2004, and class wins at the
12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona and two runner-up finishes at the 24 Hours of LeMans. Papis also drives in the Crown Royal IROC Series and does road course testing in NASCAR.
Sport Clips, Inc. is a Georgetown, TX-based enterprise that is approaching 400 stores nationwide. Targeting men and boys, Sport Clips provides high-quality haircuts in a fun sports environment, complete with TVs at every Stylist’s station tuned to sports. Every Sport Clips has “guy smart” Stylists who focus on providing the highest level of service to every client. For a location near you or for franchise information, please visit: www.SportClips.com.
For more information about Max Papis, please visit: www.maxpapis.com.