Getty Max Papis prepares for a race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2013.
For the first time in eight years, a road course expert will make his return to a national NASCAR series. Max Papis will run the Xfinity Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Saturday, Aug. 14. He will drive the No. 17 Rick Ware Racing/SS Green Light Racing Chevrolet.
Papis has not made a start in any of the top three NASCAR series since the 2013 season. That year, he replaced Tony Stewart in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet for a race at Watkin Glen after Smoke broke his leg. Papis finished 15th while Kyle Busch locked up the win after leading 29 laps.
🚨🚨🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨🚨🚨
#MADMAX is back!!! @maxpapis returns to @NASCAR @XfinityRacing series this weekend @IMS as he will pilot the #17 @NurtecODT @SSGLR0717 Saturday, Max will fulfill his official @IndyCar duties then jump into the #17 @TeamNurtecODT @NASCAR_Xfinity
Papis also spent time in the Camping World Truck Series and the Xfinity Series during the 2013 season. He made three starts in the Xfinity Series for Richard Childress Racing, posting a best finish of fourth at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Papis made his final NASCAR start of the year in the Truck Series race at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He drove the No. 14 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish after a late incident involving Mike Skeen.
Papis will now return to stock car racing for the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard. The Xfinity Series race takes place on Saturday, Aug. 14, at 4 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Network will provide coverage of the 62-lap race.
‘Mad Max’ Made 95 Starts Across NASCAR’s Top 3 Series
The Italian race car driver started competing in the top three NASCAR series in 2006 and proceeded to split his time between the various vehicles. He made a total of 95 starts during his career — 36 in Cup, 14 in Xfinity, and 45 in Truck — while posting a combined 10 top-10 finishes.
Papis achieved the most statistical success during his brief tenure in the Busch/Nationwide Series. He only made 14 starts but posted four top-five finishes with limited opportunities. For example, he only started two races in 2007 but finished third at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Papis also cracked the top five in his lone starts of 2010 and 2012, taking second at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and fourth at Road America, respectively.
Papis primarily raced on road courses during his NASCAR career, and he will continue that trend when he rejoins the Xfinity Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He will first fulfill his duties as an IndyCar race steward and then he will climb into the No. 17 Chevrolet.
Papis Has Tutored Some of NASCAR’s Biggest Stars
GettyJoey Logano (right) and Max Papis (left) talk during qualifying at Richmond.
While Papis has remained away from the driver’s seat of stock cars, he has still made an impact on NASCAR. He has spent several years working as a “performance advisor” while helping drivers improve and reach greater heights. His list of clients includes 2018 Cup Series champion Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, and William Byron.
“It’s something that I’ve done in the past and I’ve worked with Joey Logano and Austin Dillon,” Papis explained during a 2021 interview with “Autoweek.” “It’s not what I call a job, but it’s more my project that I have William Byron. I met William when he was about 17 years old, helped him to grow within his God gift and his great ability.”
According to “Autoweek,” Papis prefers the term performance adviser as opposed to driving coach. The reason, as he explained, is that he can’t teach drivers to be faster. Those skills come naturally. What he can do, however, is provide guidance about how to approach certain tracks or situations.
“So I like the word ‘performance advisor’ because that really is comprehensive,” Papis added. “You make someone that is already great, become excellent. I add my 30 years of experience to the 23-year-old experience of William, to make him better every day.”