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An Eau Claire, Wisconsin native, Paul Menard's racing career began to take shape at just eight years old when he won the Briggs Junior Class Championship in his hometown. He later won the Briggs Medium Class Championship before working his way up the proverbial racing steps. Menard began ice racing as a 15-year old and went on to win 10 International Ice Racing Association events in his career.
Menard made his entry into NASCAR competition in 2003 and then joined DEI in the middle of the 2004 season. Menard has since proven to be a rising star, posting his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Top-Ten finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the spring of 2006. Menard finished sixth in the 2005 and 2006 Nationwide Series, scoring a victory at Milwaukee and ten top-five finishes in 2006.
The 2007 season was extremely challenging for Menard as he was required to qualify on speed for the first 19 Cup races of the season, but with as many as 55 cars showing up to each event, qualifying was nearly as notable as winning in '07. In addition, many consider the competition among the rookie class to have been at an all-time high. Despite the heavy competition, Menard was awarded Rookie of the Race at four events throughout the season.
In 2008, Menard posted his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole at the historic Daytona International Speedway. Menard also posted his career best finish by placing second at Talladega Superspeedway in '08 while finishing 26th in overall points.
The end of the 2008 season brought many changes as Menard made a major decision to leave DEI and join Yates Racing and teammate Bobby Labonte. Menard and his #98 team posted seven Top-20 finishes in '09 while finishing 31st in the Sprint Cup standings and running in 16 Nationwide races.
In 2010, Menard will join the famed Richard Petty Motorsports with teammates Kasey Kahne, Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger. Menard will continue to pilot the #98 Turtle Wax Ford Fusion in the familiar neon yellow with the legendary Richard "Slugger" Labbe serving as his crew chief.
After racing part-time in the Nationwide Series in '09, Menard will now race full-time in the series in the #98 car for Roush/Fenway Racing with teammates Carl Edwards, Colin Braun and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Led by veteran crew chief, Matt Puccia, Menard expects to challenge for the Nationwide Series Championship as he did when racing full-time in '05 and '06 in the series.
Off the track, Menard enjoys a variety of activities including riding dirt bikes, go-karting, wakeboarding and playing video games. Menard, who resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be extremely busy in 2010 as he races full time in both the Cup and Nationwide Series while also appearing in two regional ARCA Races.
For Racing Schedules, click here
For more information on Paul Menard and Richard Petty Motorsports, click here.
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