By Lindsey Thompson
Nassau Recorder (Florida)
December 17, 2006
Max Papis is a very diverse driver and a veteran to go along with it. I had the opportunity to talk with him in Homestead at the NASCAR season finale. “Mad Max,” as he is called, has driven for several different racing series including Formula One, CART, NASCAR and some other racing series.
Although Papis is not a regular in the NASCAR circuit yet, he is striving to get there. He has been linked with Cup owners Chip Ganassi and Rick Hendrick, accomplishing different things for both.
Papis started his career over in Europe driving Formula One. Papis said that he was “fortunate enough to win the Daytona 24 hour” once he made it over to America. Papis also has a contract with General Motors to drive in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The second year he started doing IROC and won the 2004 Grand Am championship for Ganassi.
“What I’ve been doing the last 4 years, I’ve been trying to explore what NASCAR is,” Papis said.
In doing so, Papis began to test for Hendrick Motorsports. He has been doing some of the road course development on Hendrick’s cars. While working with NASCAR teams, Papis met Doug Barnette, an agent who represents race car drivers and also Sport Clips, which is a primary sponsor in racing.
Papis’ first opportunity behind the wheel for Sport Clips in a Busch car was at Watkins Glen earlier this season when he started 43rd and finished 14th. He also was given the opportunity in Texas with the same car.
“What I‘ve been trying to do is, I want to be a full-time NASCAR driver,” Papis said. “I really like the atmosphere. And to me it is real racing. I enjoy the people the most. That’s what I learned in my career. It’s not really what you drive, it’s who you work with. I found that the people in NASCAR are genuine people, and they have the same things I have, the respect for the sport. That is why I like to be here.”
“The goal that I have is to make six or eight Busch races for next year and to get more experience,” Papis said.
While Papis tries to accomplish those goals, he will also be continuing the road course testing as well for Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 48 car, which is this year’s champion Jimmie Johnson.
“I hope with all of this experience I will slowly but surely learn more about these cars,” Papis said. “They are very different than anything I’ve done before. It is a new challenge, but I have always took out the best of myself under new challenges and hard circumstances.”
“I feel that I have the support of Doug that has been behind me all the time, and I have the support of Sport Clips,” he said. “They have been really great for me this year. I think good things happen to good people. I have built a lot of relationships in NASCAR in the last couple of years, and these relationships will help me to get an opportunity.”
“If I will be the first Italian driver ever to race full-time in a Busch car, that would be a huge hit in Europe because there is a lot of attention in NASCAR, and NASCAR has been really proactive in looking for a new Italian sponsor to be associated in what I want to do in the next couple of years. Things are looking good at the moment.”
Papis is definitely determined and believes that NASCAR is the place for him to race. The fans make the sport and the atmosphere that he likes so much. Papis and his wife recently welcomed a baby boy into their home, Marco, this summer. Papis said, “He is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“Marco and my wife have really been really welcomed in the NASCAR family, and to me it means a lot, he said. “It means these people care for other people, besides the racing. Racing comes and goes, but me and the relationship are more important.”
Max Papis has had much success throughout his career. While driving in the IROC series, he showed that he has the talent to race with the stars of NASCAR, and that he could carve the path to be one as well.