Papis would add spice to NASCAR garage
Max Papis is a bubbly, exuberant personality, an Italian race car
driver who made his name in open-wheel racing but wants to make a bigger splash in NASCAR.Papis played a large role in testing the COT for Hendrick Motorsports, and now he's in the hunt for a Sprint Cup ride next season."My goal is to be the first Italian to run full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series," Papis said by phone on Friday. "Now we're in the hunt for a ride. It's huge!"Papis said that Geico "definitely" wants to go Cup racing next season and there are three candidates for the seat -- Papis, of course, being one of them."It's something I really want," Papis said. "I know my personality. … Put it this way: I still have a lot to give as a driver. I'm so excited about this -- you don't know!"Papis has seen the struggles of his former open-wheel colleagues trying to make it in the Sprint Cup series. He doesn't care. Like he said, he still has a lot to give as a driver, and that also means he still has a willingness to learn.There's no doubt -- having dealt with Papis in open-wheel racing -- he would add a spice of life to the Sprint Cup garage. Count on that.
Angelique S. Chengelis
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Angelique S. Chengelis
Angelique S. Chengelis, a longtime motorsports writer for The Detroit News, became an analyst for ESPN's and ABC's coverage of NASCAR in 2007. Her in-depth racing knowledge has led to numerous appearances as a panelist on ESPN's "Outside the Lines," "SportsCenter" and ESPNEWS over the years. She has also been a regular contributor to sports talk shows on WDFN-AM in Detroit.
As an Insider, Chengelis reports on the latest news and information behind-the-scenes and breaking stories on teams, drivers, owners and crew chiefs. She serves several of ESPN's multimedia platforms, reporting for NASCAR Now, NASCAR Countdown, ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS and "SportsCenter," as well as providing weekly content on ESPN.com.
Prior to ESPN, Chengelis covered a variety of sports for The Detroit News, including NASCAR, IndyCar and other forms of racing, since 1990. Additionally, she covered University of Michigan football, Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Stanley Cup finals, NBA Finals, U.S. Open golf, the Ryder Cup and NCAA basketball. Before joining The Detroit News she worked at the Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee for four years starting in 1986, covering a variety of sports, including Tennessee women's basketball.
A Cincinnati native, Chengelis is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati. She has won numerous industry honors, including the 1997 Michigan Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) Award for her coverage of Michigan football.
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