Jacques Villeneuve is following in the footsteps of fellow ex-F1 driver Juan-Pablo Montoya by driving in NASCAR. Later this month, Villeneuve will be testing for Bill Davis Racing at Chicagoland Speedway.
Villeneuve is no stranger to oval racing having won both the IndyCar series and the Indy 500 event, however it has not raved on an oval since 1995. Despite his experience in a wealth of motor sports, he knows NASCAR is a totally different challenge and as-such, accepts he will be a true rookie in the sport and therefore must focus on learning as much as he can as soon as he can.
“We have spend the last months considering a number of NASCAR options and were in agreement that the truck offers the closest reference point to the Car of Tomorrow,†Villeneuve said. “Bill David Racing was aware of my interest in NASCAR and approached my management team with a view to allowing me to test within its truck programme.
“I’m glad we were able to work that out, and having spent the day with the team for my seat fitting, I am really looking forward to working with Bill and his staff.â€
“There’s been a lot of speculation about when Jacques would arrive in NASCAR,” Craig Pollock, Jacques Villeneuve s manager, explained. “Bill Davis’ kind invitation coincided with our decision to start within Craftsman Truck, so the fit was both timely and natural.â€
