Former Formula 1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will be contesting the Brickyard 400 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend. Auto123.com had the chance to speak with him about this race.
“I know the Nationwide series pretty well now, and I am looking forward to making a return in the Sprint Cup! That will be exciting! I admit I’ll be a bit “green” next weekend. We have not tested the car, but I am confident. I know the track very well and the Braun team is very capable of producing a very good race car. I like to work with Trent Owens (Crew Chief of the No 32 Toyota). He may not have as much experience as some of the other guys out there but he’s young and very open,” Villeneuve told Auto123.com. Villeneuve will be driving the No 32 Toyota Camry of team Braun Racing sponsored by Dollar General. This will mark the return of Villeneuve to the Indianapolis oval, the scene of his stunning victory at the Indy 500 back in 1995. The 1997 F1 World Champion contested the Nationwide race at Road America a few weeks ago. Despite his lack of driving a NASCAR racer in recent months, Villeneuve qualified second and led the pack with Carl Edwards until a cut wire of the alternator forced him to stop on the last lap of the race. “Braun Racing contested only four Sprint Cup races so far this year,” Villeneuve explained. “So the No 32 Dollar General Toyota is not qualified on owner’s points. I’ll have to put it on the grid it on speed. It’s risky I admit, and it puts a bit more pressure on me. If it rains, we have to pack our things and go home. We have very limited time to practice before qualifying, a two-hour session I believe. If the car is good right from the word go, we should be in a good position. But if there’s something wrong with the set-up, there won’t be enough time to start making adjustments. But I say it again, I am confident. The Indianapolis superspeedway is not a standard oval. It is almost a road course because there’s very little banking in the corners, and you have to brake to enter the four corners,” Villeneuve added. “Nothing happens by mistake in life,” Jacques said. “The ball started to roll after my good performance at Road America. My name started to appear in the papers and in the news, including in Formula 1. That attracted a lot of attention. It may sound a little bizarre but people want to hire those who are in the news. This is how things work. I am extremely happy to see that my efforts are paying off. The little snowball I made a few months ago has become pretty big today. I am delighted to be racing next weekend at Indy. I may also do Watkins Glen, but there are just a few details to iron off. However, everything has been finalized for Montreal at the end of August and I look forward to a great and successful weekend of race home in Montreal,” Villeneuve concluded. Note to the readers: Jacques requested specifically that the interview does not include questions about Formula 1.
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