Paul Menard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Menard |
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Menard at the 2018 Can-Am 500
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| Born | John Paul Christian Menard August 21, 1980 Eau Claire, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||
| Achievements | 2024 SCCA Trans-Am TA Series Champion 2011 Brickyard 400 winner |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 471 races run over 16 years | |||||||
| 2019 position | 19th | ||||||
| Best finish | 14th (2015) | ||||||
| First race | 2003 Sirius Satellite Radio at the Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
| Last race | 2019 Ford EcoBoost 400 (Homestead) | ||||||
| First win | 2011 Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 220 races run over 16 years | |||||||
| 2019 position | 84th | ||||||
| Best finish | 5th (2010) | ||||||
| First race | 2003 Trace Adkins Chrome 300 (Nashville) | ||||||
| Last race | 2019 ROXOR 200 (Loudon) | ||||||
| First win | 2006 AT&T 250 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| Last win | 2015 Road America 180 (Road America) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 8 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| 2021 position | 45th | ||||||
| Best finish | 42nd (2003) | ||||||
| First race | 2003 GNC 200 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
| Last race | 2021 United Rentals 176 (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of November 4, 2024. | |||||||
John Paul Christian Menard (born August 21, 1980) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is currently a full-time competitor in the Trans-Am Series, driving the No. 3 Ford Mustang for 3GT Racing. Paul Menard became the 2024 Trans-Am Series champion in the TA class.
Menard raced full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2007 to 2019. He drove for several teams, including Dale Earnhardt Inc., Yates Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, and Wood Brothers Racing. He stopped racing full-time after the 2019 season. He also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and won three races there. He also won one ARCA Menards Series race.
Paul is the son of John Menard Jr., who started the Menards home improvement stores.
Racing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Racing
Paul Menard started racing when he was eight years old. He won a championship in karting in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He then moved up to higher levels of racing. At 15, he began ice racing and won 10 events in that sport. In the summers, he raced legends cars on short tracks in Wisconsin. He later built his own late model car and raced it often.
In 2000, Menard started racing in the NASCAR Re/Max Challenge Series. He finished 13th in points. The next year, he won a pole position and a race at Road America in Wisconsin. In 2002, he also raced in the SCCA Trans-Am series and the Grand Am Cup, winning two races.
In 2003, Menard joined Andy Petree Racing. He competed in NASCAR Cup Series, Busch, and Truck Series races. He also raced in the ARCA Menards Series. In his first ARCA race, he finished fourth. Later that year, he won his first ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Racing with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (2004–2008)
In 2004, Menard began racing in the NASCAR Busch Series. He later moved to Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI). In 2005, he earned his first top-five finish at Kentucky Speedway. He finished sixth overall in the Busch Series points that year.
In 2006, Menard got his first top-10 finish in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also won his first Busch Series race at his home track, the Milwaukee Mile. He finished sixth in the Busch Series standings again, with 16 top-10 finishes.
In 2007, Menard raced full-time in the Cup Series for the first time. In 2008, he won his first Cup Series pole position at Daytona International Speedway. He also had a great second-place finish at Talladega. He finished the 2008 season in 26th place in points, which was his best career finish at that time.
Time with Yates Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports (2009–2010)
For the 2009 season, Menard moved to Yates Racing. He had some good runs but often faced problems late in races. He finished 31st in the final points standings.
In 2010, his team joined Richard Petty Motorsports. He started the year with a 13th-place finish at the 2010 Daytona 500. He then had a fifth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which was his second-best Cup Series finish at the time. He also had other top-10 finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway. He finished 23rd in points that year.
Years with Richard Childress Racing (2011–2017)
In 2011, Menard moved to Richard Childress Racing. On July 31, 2011, he won his first and only Sprint Cup race. This was the famous Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He managed his fuel perfectly and held off other top drivers to win. This was a very important win for him and his family.
In 2012, Menard did not win any races. In 2013, he showed some improvement and was close to making the Chase for the Sprint Cup. In the last race of 2013, his tire exploded when he stopped in his pit box.
In 2014, Menard had his best year for top-10 finishes, with 13 of them. He also won a Nationwide Series race at Michigan, his first since 2006.
In 2015, Menard made the Chase for the first time in his career. He finished a career-best 14th in the standings. In August 2015, he won his third Xfinity Series race at Road America. This win was special because he grew up only a few miles from that track.
In 2016, Menard finished third in the Sprint Unlimited race at Daytona. In 2017, he started the year strong with a fifth-place finish at the Daytona 500. He also finished third at the Coke Zero 400.
Moving to Wood Brothers Racing (2018–2019)
On July 26, 2017, it was announced that Menard would replace Ryan Blaney in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford starting in 2018.
On June 30, 2018, Menard earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series Pole Award at Chicagoland Speedway. On September 10, 2019, Menard announced that he would retire from full-time racing after the 2019 season.
Part-Time Racing with ThorSport Racing (2021)
On May 17, 2021, Paul Menard returned to NASCAR for a part-time role. He competed in the No. 66 truck for ThorSport Racing in the Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas. This was his first NASCAR race since his retirement from full-time racing.
Personal Life
Paul Menard was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He is the son of Menards store founder John Menard Jr.. He studied business at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He now lives in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area with his wife, Jennifer. They have a daughter, born in 2014, and a son, born in 2017. Menard is a Roman Catholic and enjoys power metal music. He chooses not to use social media, believing there is more to life than looking at others' lives online.
Images for kids
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Menard in his No. 15 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2006
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Menard leads at Talladega in 2006
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2008 NASCAR Cup Series car
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2010 Sprint Cup Series car at Charlotte Motor Speedway
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2010 Nationwide Series car at Road America
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2012 Sprint Cup car
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Fans waving to Menard, celebrating his third Xfinity Series win at Road America.
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Menard's 2018 No. 21 car
