Canadian driver Patrick Carpentier will race in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal on Aug. 18.
The Joliette, Que. native, who will drive RAB Racing’s No. 99 car, won the pole for the race in 2007 and posted second-place finishes in 2007 and 2008.
Carpentier, 40, had announced his retirement after the 2011 race at the 2.71-mile Circuit Gilles Villeneuve road course.
“The Montreal race is my Daytona 500,” Carpentier said in a press release on Tuesday. “I know I said last year would be my final race, but I’m a racer. When they called and asked if I would run Montreal again it didn’t take long for me to answer. I’ve said many times that winning in Montreal would definitely be a highlight in my career. Moreover, this year’s race is different, because my participation will benefit the Montreal Sainte-Justine UFC Foundation.”
Carpentier has started 15 Nationwide and 39 Sprint Cup races after an open-wheel racing career that saw him win five races and reach the podium 22 times in CART/Champ Car and IndyCar. He also won the Formula Atlantic Championship in 1996.