Just three races into his first Busch Series season, Michel Jourdain Jr. finds himself back on his home turf. Credit: Autostock

Jourdain looks to Mexico race to ease transition

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The path from open-wheel racing to NASCAR has been used so much, it's the size of the English Channel.

You know the names: Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Casey Mears ... the list goes on.

Those drivers came up through the open-wheel ranks, but before making it in the Indy Racing League, CART or Champ Cars, they moved to NASCAR. Many point to Gordon's decision to go the NASCAR route as one of the reasons why open-wheel racing has struggled in the recent years.

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	MICHEL JOURDAIN JR. •   Driver Page •   Open-wheeler Jourdain adjusting to stock cars •   Noticias y notas de la Serie Busch de NASCAR

Lately, though, some drivers who have raced at the top levels of open-wheel are making the move to stock cars. The IRL's Sarah Fisher is part of Richard Childress Racing's driver development program, and Ford has signed two-time Champ Car winner Michel Jourdain Jr.

Jourdain, a native of Mexico, has had a bit of a rough go so far in the 2005 season, finishing 25th twice, at Daytona and California. Driving for ppc Racing, Jourdain has been out of his element so far, but this weekend's race is a chance for him to get back on track, so to speak.

The Busch Series heads to Jourdain's hometown of Mexico City for the Telcel Motorola 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, a road course right up Jourdain's alley.

Asked before the season what track he was looking forward to, Jourdain had a quick and easy answer.

"Of course, Mexico City," Jourdain said. "It's going to be really, really good for me to go back there, but also every race. I'm looking forward to every track."

This weekend's event, though, is historic for Jourdain and the Busch Series. The race is the first points event for the Busch Series to be held outside the United States.

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For Jourdain and other Mexican drivers entered -- like open-wheel star Adrian Fernandez -- the race is a chance to perform in front of the home crowd.

"I'm sure it's going to be huge," Jourdain said. "If the NASCAR Busch Series went alone to Mexico it would have been a huge event. NASCAR is so big in the States, and the press has been following it in Mexico the last couple of years more and more.

"Since the rumor started about me coming to the series and since we announced our agreement, we've been getting more media, and now with Adrian, this announcement is huge.

"It's fantastic for me to be racing with Adrian again and in Mexico City. I think it's going to be one of the biggest races of the year for the series and for the track. I think it's going to be the biggest race of the year in Mexico. It's great to be a part of this event."

The transition to stock cars has brought myriad problems for Jourdain, from the obvious differences between the cars to the not-so-obvious differences, like travel.

But making the move to NASCAR was in Jourdain's best interest.

"It was hard in a sense because I had been (in open-wheel) for a long, long time and have a lot of friends there and we were pretty established there," Jourdain said. "But I saw a huge opportunity to come up here because NASCAR is just so huge and growing so much. I thought it would be the best opportunity for my future."

The toughest part for Jourdain has been adapting to the larger cars, he said.

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"It's a lot," Jourdain said. "It's totally different the way it drives with how big the car is to understand how wide you can go and where the other cars are. The language also and the changes in setups, everything is just so different."

But he likes driving stock cars and is having a "lot of fun."

"The banging and hitting each other, it's good," Jourdain said. "I like it, and it's the same for everybody.

"I've raced lots of different types of cars when I raced in Mexico, so I'm having a lot of fun. I do believe that this is more the way racing should be."

Jourdain is getting a lot of help from Ford and ppc Racing. Busch Series teammate Kenny Wallace has served as a mentor, and spotter Andy Houston has been around NASCAR long enough to share his experience.

"The key to mentoring somebody is how does that person accept you?" Wallace said. "First of all, Michel Jourdain is 28. It's not like he's 19 or 20. He's very mature, and he comes from a rich history of racing. He's a standup guy.

"I've had a couple of beers with him and I really like him. Besides me wining races this year, one of my goals is to just help him. In the end, it's the only way a two-car team can get along."

Wallace helps Jourdain "every time we go out." Jourdain said.

"He tries to tells me things before I experience them so I know what to expect," Jourdain said. "He and Andy Houston, who is coaching me as my spotter, have been very helpful. The two of them are helping me a bunch, and I think I would have been much worse without them."

In time, Jourdain hopes to take the path to NASCAR stardom. But first, he'll be a star in his own right this weekend in Mexico City.