Jacques Villenueve eyeing NASCAR

WhelenModifiedTour · WMT Moderator

Jacques Villenueve eyeing NASCAR

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

Still a chance for Villeneuve in Cup..with his own team? There remains an outside chance that former Formula 1 World Champion and Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve could end up behind the wheel of a Nextel Cup car in 2007. That’s the word from Roush Racing President Geoff Smith, who said Roush would help Villeneuve put together a team, if his handlers can bring the money to make it happen. “We’re open to it, we’re willing to work with them, but, really the ball is in their court right now,” Smith said Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “His (Villeneuve’s) manager, Craig Pollock, he’s the man behind the marketing of that, and … I’ve heard in the garage that certain sponsors are being pitched by him, so there is some activity going on.” If a deal were to happen, it would not be in a Roush car, since that would exceed NASCAR’s team-size limit. Instead it would be a squad the Canadian driver and his minions would assemble, with Roush providing the technical muscle. “There’s two kinds of chances, and they’re both related to whether or not his marketing organization, which supports him, can close on financial support,” Smith said. “If they’re able to close on full-time Cup support in the next few minutes, few days, then we can support that team with cars, engines, gears, all the hardware stuff — enough to get it up and running. If they’re not able to do that shortly, but they’re able to get a support for commitment next year that’s partial, then we’ll have a little more time to be able to put an infrastructure around helping them,” Smith said.(Speed Channel)(11-19-2006)

openwheelracer · Admin/Mod/Eyewitness

From Jayski.com:

UPDATE: Craig Pollock, Villeneuve's manager, said Friday that talks are ongoing with several NASCAR teams to secure a drive for the 35-year-old former Formula One champion in the coming weeks, despite published reports to the contrary. ``What's appeared in newspapers has been absolutely ludicrous,'' Pollock told CanWest News Service. ``The fact is we're putting together a package which is necessary for Jacques. We're in a very strong position with any team he wants to go to and there are many, many teams really interested in Jacques. We're hoping by the end of the month, NASCAR-wise, as far as knowing which direction we want to go.'' Pollock's comments were in response to a story in the Globe and Mail this week, which was subsequently picked up by a myriad of racing websites. A Toronto newspaper reported Villeneuve's efforts to join NASCAR's Busch Series [NOT Busch Grand National Series since 2002] had stalled because of the absence of a sponsor ready to invest about $18 million US on his behalf. Other reports suggested the cost might be as high as $23 million to secure a ride in NASCAR's premier Nextel Cup series. The Toronto story also reported Villeneuve's sights were now set on NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series as a last option in an attempt to resurrect his racing career following an abrupt departure from BMW Sauber last August, which ended a 10-year mostly tumultuous run in F1 for the 1997 world champion. Earlier reports said Villeneuve who became a father in November when his wife, Johanna Martinez, gave birth to a son, Jules was close to signing a deal with Roush Racing, which runs six cars [actually five, the sixth was part time in 2006] in the Nextel Cup series. The deal supposedly fell through, however, when Villeneuve insisted Pollock be given a major role in the management of the team. Pollock denied the account as ``the biggest load . . . I've ever heard'' and said talks were continuing with team owner Jack Roush, with whom Pollock said his relationship was ``excellent.''(Canada,com/Montreal Gazette)(1-7-2007)