Formula E racer Nelson Piquet Jr. would welcome NASCAR return

If he has his way, NASCAR has not seen the last of Nelson Piquet Jr.

Now racing in the Formula E Series (for China Racing) and back in his native Brazil, the son of legendary F1 driver Nelson Piquet Sr., still yearns to return to the world of NASCAR some day.

“I would love to return and would love to win a Truck championship and be the first Latin American to win a NASCAR championship, but it all depends,” Piquet told Motorsport. “I mean, I still have 30 years at least in my career and a lot can happen.

“At the moment things are going very well over here so I’m going to focus my time in my dedication over here, but I’m never going say no to NASCAR.”

Piquet has not raced on the Xfinity Series (formerly Nationwide) since 2013. His only NASCAR appearance since then was a one-off ride last season in the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen, where he started 32nd and finished 26th.

But when he was in NASCAR, Piquet managed one win and seven top-10 finishes in the then-Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series. And in the Camping World Truck Series, he did much better, earning two wins and 28 top-10 finishes in just 54 starts.

Right now, Piquet and Formula E are both on a joint climb upward. Piquet competed in all four Formula E races in 2014, earning two podium finishes.

He started out the 2015 season in fine fashion, earning a third-place finish in the season-opening race in Buenos Aires.

He’s looking for an even better performance record in 2015 as the category becomes more refined and popular.

“Five years ago we would never imagine that we would have a championship of open-wheel around the world fully electric” Piquet said. “I think we were on the border of being too soon but I think if they pull it out and they really manage to get the right investors and sponsors and everything together, I think they just nailed it right in time and it’s going to have a great future.”

In a way, Piquet, who has ruled out returning to Formula One, is torn between two lovers. He would love to return to NASCAR, but at the same time is really enjoying himself in Formula E.

“It’s a great sport, a great category,” Piquet said. “I love them very much and I love the racing, love the fighting and I wish I’d be doing both basically.”