Paul Menard
Title: NASCAR Nationwide driver
DOB: 21-Aug-80
BIRTHDATE: Aug. 21, 1980
The newest driver to join the Ford Racing family is Paul Menard, who will drive the No. 98 Menards Fusion for Yates Racing in 2009.
During the early years and his part-time schedule in NASCAR’s Cup Series, Menard was busy getting experience in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where he competed full-time from 2004-‘06. After finishing 23rd in the ’04 season, Menard began to blossom the following year when he posted 15 top-10 finishes in the final 20 races en route to a sixth-place finish in points. Menard continued to prove himself on the track in ‘06 as he won his first series event in front of the hometown fans at the Milwaukee Mile in June. That highlight was part of another sixth-place points effort, which included seven top-5 and 16 top-10 performances.
Perseverance is probably the best way to describe Menard’s career to this point. After making his series debut with car owner Andy Petree in ‘03 on the road course of Watkins Glen International (finished 29th), Menard was out of the Cup Series for two years until running at the Glen for DEI in ‘05.
He parlayed that relationship into a seven-race limited schedule in ‘06 and showed a great deal of potential, highlighted by a seventh-place finish in the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
With a full-season sponsor in place for ‘07, Menard ran the entire schedule for the first time and qualified for 30 of the 36 events, finishing 34th in the point standings.
Like many of the young drivers today, Menard took a step-by-step approach through various series to get to NASCAR’s top level. Before debuting with Petree on the NASCAR scene, Menard got some further seasoning in the ARCA ReMax Series, where he finished fourth in his first appearance at Salem Speedway, and took the checkered flag in his first trip to Talladega in 2003.