Villeneuve Pleased With Initial NASCAR Performance
A 21st-place finish doesn’t seem like much after you’ve won the World Formula One championship and the Indianapolis 500, but Jacques Villeneuve (No. 27 Sonax Toyota) pronounced his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut a success.
Villeneuve qualified seventh and couldn’t find a way to join a pack of 20 lead-lap rivals after damaging his truck when another competitor spun out on Lap 47.
“It was a great experience, ” said Villeneuve, surrounded by a large contingent of Canadian reporters covering the Smith’s Las Vegas 350.
“We learned a lot tonight; we had a lot of pit stops. ”
Villeneuve exercised what amounted to caution, dropping back to a comfortable position in the second 10 laps after the green flag fell. He was working his way to the front when he couldn’t avoid the backstretch incident.
“The truck was running really strong in the first part of the race and the lap times showed that, ” he said. “After (the accident) I lost all the downforce. The truck got really tight and it was just a matter of trying to patch it up and trying to run to the end. ”
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