Driver Reactions To Jacques Villeneuve’s Attempt To Race At Talledega
Oct 02, 2007
JV
Several top drivers say they are in disbelief after learning NASCAR has granted permission to Jacques Villeneuve to compete in Sunday’s UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega less than a month after sitting in a Nextel Cup car for the first time.
None question the former Indy 500 winner’s driving resume, but say way too much is at stake Sunday and Talladega is not a place where you want to try out your training wheels.
NASCAR has no such concerns. Mike Bolton, Al.com
A storm of controversy is clouding Jacques Villeneuve’s attempt to qualify for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race this week at Talladega Superspeedway.
Canada’s only Formula One world champion wants to tackle the 2.66-mile oval in the No. 27 Bill Davis Racing Toyota but there are rumblings in the NASCAR garage that he may not be ready to race on the circuit’s most dangerous track.
The argument put forward by four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Busch is that to race in a restrictor plate event—especially in the middle of the Chase for the Championhip—puts not only Villeneuve in danger but the dozen Chasers as well. Dean Mcnulty, EdmontonSun.com
Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon feels Talladega is the wrong place to debut, citing his lack of stock car experience in close packs and the current Chase for the Championship title run that’s in full swing.
“I am a big fan of Jacques, but I think this is not the right decision,” Gordon said. “I didn’t think it was the right decision with David Gilliland (in 2006). Nothing against their talent, I just look at that race in the Chase.
“Why? You want to run a race? Go to Atlanta. Go to one of the mile and a half tracks. I am very, very surprised that was approved as his first Cup race. I don’t agree with it, but I am not going to lose sleep over it either.”
Gordon says Villeneuve did a nice job in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck event recently but that’s not enough experience to give him an invitation to debut at Talladega. Much more seat time in other forms of stock car racing should come first.
“Jacques did a nice job at the test, but you can’t base anything on a test. I mean, that is just crazy,” Gordon said. “You have to have a race.
“I think that you need to get some experience in something else before you go stick them in the Cup race at Talladega, especially when it is so crucial for the championship.” The Dispatch.com
Villeneuve plans to run the Sprint Cup full time in 2008 in his family’s famous No. 27 for Bill Davis Racing, having completed several test sessions, including the COT test at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this month.
Many fans are aware of Villenueve’s career highlights—CART and Formula One championships and winning the 1995 Indianapolis 500—but might not be familiar with the son of Canadian legend Gilles Villeneuve, who in addition to his racing career, has recorded a music album released earlier this year. Mark Aumann, Nascar.com
