Early this year Jacques Villeneuve tried to break into NASCAR with Bill Davis’s Toyota team. Jacques had a tough time and was left on the sidelines after just half a dozen races as his former manager, Craig Pollock, was unable to raise the hoped for sponsorship. In August Jacques competed in the second division NASCAR Nationwide race in Montreal and ran near the front of the rain-soaked race until crunching his car because he couldn’t see anything through his wiper-less windshield.
Villeneuve is living these days in Montreal, his hometown. At 37, he’s happily married with two young boys, aged one and two. “One of them, at least, is a future racer,” Jacques remarked, grinning.
World champion with Williams back in 1996 and CART champion and Indy 500 winner with Team Green in ‘95, Jacques’ career floundered after he made the move with manager Pollock to the new BAR team. After a short, unhappy F1 career-ending stint with BMW and doing Le Mans with Peugeot, Jacques will race in the SpeedCar series this winter and hopes to be at Daytona in February for NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500.
“I wish I was busy driving,” Villeneuve said. “I’m going to do the SpeedCar thing in the off-season, but NASCAR is the priority. That’s what I want to do.”
It’s tough to find sponsors in these difficult economic times but Villeneuve believes these very conditions will help him find a ride in NASCAR for next season.
“These are times when teams will go for known quantities rather than a young unknown,” Jacques pointed out. “They won’t take risks on young guys now. When everything was going great then you saw these stupid contracts with eighteen-year olds who hadn’t proved anything yet. But the teams had all that cash and even if the kid was not good enough they could promote it and they gained something out of it. But when everybody’s looking at tight budgets, they have to go with known quantities. That’s what I tell myself anyway.”
The competitive spirit still burns bright in Villeneuve’s heart. He’s a true sportsman who races for the love of it, not for fame or money. After our brief chat I told him I hoped to see him at Daytona in February for the 51st running of the 500.
“I hope I’ll be there!” Jacques added. “Have a good Christmas. Hope to see you down there in Florida.”
I’d far rather see him in the IRL. NASCAR bores me to tears.
I agree with Keith. He’s wasting his time and someone’s money with NASCAR. He needs to be in the IRL along with several other stock-car wannabees, like AJ Allmendinger and Patrick Carpentier. Thank goodness Dario had the mind to return!
If he wants to go NASCAR, let him go. IRL is not what CART used to be. But I hope that he could win at Le Mans this year or next. By the way, his F-1 title came in 1997.
Why in God’s name would Villenauve want to join what is now a second rate series like the IRL? Sadly, the IRL has a long way to go before it gets back to even being the walking wounded after the years of circular firing squads. “Winning” has not been much of a victory, Pyrrhic in every sense of the word.
After being hopeful and trying to support both factions to a degree, I finally decided, the hell with it, life is too short to worry about ugly series which expects sympathy after ruining something that more than a few once enjoyed.
While my interest is beginning to fade after getting close to half century of following it, the NASCAR Cup series will continue to be the premier racing series in America for the foreseeable future, and Villeneuve realizes this and this is what drives his looking for a ride in NASCAR. Not that hard to figure out….
And it never will be until it can attract some major names. Getting Villeneuve in could be the shot in the arm the championship needs. You certainly wouldn’t have any problem selling tickets for Canadian races.
I understand some fans’ disillusionment with the IRL but more negativity isn’t the solution to its problems.
Just browsing our site while I eat my sandwiches and thought I’d chuck in my tuppence worth, as we say in Blighty.
I’d like to see JV back in Grand Prix racing……….! He’s a bright guy, refreshingly devoid of bullshit, and still pretty damn quick. F1 needs a few more maverick characters in my view.
Anyway, he’s a much better racing driver than he is a pop star. He won’t like that.
RW
I’m getting a bit tired of people giving crap to the IRL. I was upset with Tony George when he first did it and maybe he deserves to shoulder the blame for how it is now, but I have witnessed firsthand some of the closest racing ever in the IRL. And what other choices do I have as a Midwest US race fan? F1 is gone, probably for a long time here, if not forever. I can’t even go to Canada as an option anymore. I went to the ALMS race at Mid-Ohio, it was cool, but lacking in quantity in some classes. Those Daytona Prototypes are some of the ugliest racing cars ever built. NASCAR makes me puke with its’ publicity machine, which leaves me with Sprint cars, which I have learned to love, or the local bullring racers. So, I support the IRL because there is no alternative. I have forgiven Mr. George and gotten over it. I would suggest true race fans start doing the same.
He is like a bad rash….keeps coming back for some reason. The most overrated driver along with Damon Hill. He should just hang it up and play his guitar.
Gordon, correction he was World Champion in 1997 not 1996. Damon Hill was champion in 1996.
Damon Hill, definitely was not overrated. He was underrated. The Williams team to this day – regrets his departure.