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Profile: Bruno Junqueira
By Andrew Cutler May 13 2008
To most fans of the old CART/CCWS series, Bruno Junqueira was another one of Chip Ganassi's "finds" - young, unheralded drivers who got their shot at fame with a top-flight team. But that only begins to tell the tale of this talented young Brazilian.

Starting out as a youth in karts, Bruno won two national championships prior to moving up to the Brazilian Formula 3 Series in 1994. Next followed three years in the South American Formula 3 Series, where in 1997 he won the title, racking up ten poles and six wins out of twelve races. After that, Junqueira spent 1998-2000 in the FIA International Formula 3000 Series, claiming the title in '00 with four wins.  

For 2001 "Junky" was tapped by Ganassi Racing to replace the outgoing Juan Pablo Montoya in their CART squad. He reponded in fine form, winning once and notching three other top-five finishes. 2002 would bring two more wins, a second place finish in the CART championship, and a pole position start at Indy as Ganassi crossed the CART/IRL line for the month of May.

For 2003 Bruno left the IRL-bound Ganassi squad and signed with Newman-Haas, where he would stay for four years, winning five times. In 2004 & 2005 Newman-Haas would come to Indy for the 500, & in '05 Bruno would be seriously injured in a race-day accident. He would be out most of the rest of the year recovering from back surgury.

For 2007 Junqueira signed with Dale Coyne Racing. His best finish was a second at Zolder, Belgium. The CCWS/IRL merger has brought Coyne & Junqueria full-time into the IndyCar Series for 2008.

 

  

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