For this purpose, he has recently completed a testing session in ARCA (a lower series in the NASCAR championship) at the Michigan track on May 29th. Michel already possesses the precious NASCAR license allowing him to compete in the NASCAR Busch Series on road courses, but he still needs to prove himself on an oval track. And that is exactly what he plans to do.
After this initial contact at the Michigan track, he is currently trying to schedule another session on a slightly slower circuit. If all goes well, he could soon be racing a few ARCA races and then attempt the leap to the NASCAR Busch Series, somewhat in the manner of what Juan Pablo Montoya did last year.
The testing session in Michigan went very well. The car used by Michel belonged to Mario Gosselin, a well-known driver in NASCAR who has already competed in the Nextel Cup and owns a team in ARCA. During a busy day of driving, Michel quickly improved his times, although the main goal was to establish contact and get his bearings in a discipline he was unfamiliar with. He had to adapt his GT and road course driving style to the demands of oval track driving where you are almost constantly pressing the accelerator.
“The day went very well; in my usual manner, I started ‘gently’, and we managed 8 sessions of 10 laps… With other cars on the track, I was able to find my rhythm gradually. Of course, my goal for a first time was especially to not overreach and to progress, with advice from Mario [Gosselin] and Mike [Snow],” he noted.
To understand the significance of this test, it should be added that Mike Snow, one of the most renowned sports journalists in the world of NASCAR, specifically traveled from Las Vegas to follow Michel’s first laps. A good sign, isn’t it?
It is worth noting that during this session, Sam Hornish Jr., the IRL champion, was also conducting tests in ARCA.
