Villeneuve close to NASCAR deal – report
'La Gazzetta dello Sport' is reporting this week that the French Canadian, whose BMW tenure and formula one career abruptly ended after the German GP last month, is now in talks with a team in the highly-popular American stock car series.
If confirmed for 2007, the news would make 35-year-old Villeneuve – world champion of 1997 – the second former formula one winner to switch to NASCAR this year, after Juan Pablo Montoya announced his shock move in early July.
In Los Angeles' 'LA Times' newspaper, meanwhile, the president of a leading sports marketing firm, Ardy Arani, outlined the value that a couple of well-known grand prix stars would bring to the US-based category.
He also called Villeneuve's recent comments, in which he favorably compared NASCAR with formula one's prestige, as a 'watershed event'.
Arani continued: ''NASCAR, at least in terms of the dialogue among racers, is now seen as having parity with one of the major racing series in the world.''
08/08/06 Patrick Carpentier has been quoted in the Canadian press that Jacques Villeneuve would not be the right fit for NASCAR and he doubts it will ever happen. Of course Carpentier is trying to land a NASCAR ride and if Villeneuve's name gets thrown in the pot he might have the ride instead of Patrick.
08/06/06 (GMM) NASCAR teams have reportedly scoffed at claims in the press that departed BMW-Sauber Jacques Villeneuve could be headed for the series in 2007.
Canadian newspaper 'Toronto Sun' conducted an informal poll of teams at Indianapolis' 'Brickyard 400' and found that none of them have staged talks with the world champion of 1997.
''We would be looking for someone to step in right away at this level,'' said one NASCAR owner, who ruled himself out of following the example of Chip Ganassi by signing a grand prix star such as Juan Pablo Montoya.
A report in the 'Journal de Montreal' this weekend claimed that Villeneuve, replaced this weekend at Budapest by test driver Robert Kubica, had already signed a 'pre-contract' for a NASCAR team for next season.
08/04/06 Jacques Villeneuve did not sign anything in NASCAR. The person in charge for the public relations of the Canadian driver contradicted Friday the news of the Journal de Montreal. Yan Lefort clearly explained the steps of Villeneuve to find a ride in 2007. “Jacques asked his management team to gather information and to do research concerning all the options which could be offered to him for the future. Mr. Lefort says that the options being absolute #1 priority BMW and F1; option 2 elsewhere, and elsewhere is NASCAR. Therefore, there are contacts in F1 and in NASCAR, but there is no preliminary agreement as it is mentioned in the Journal de Montreal this morning."
08/04/06 According to today's Journal de Montreal, Jacques Villeneuve has a "conditional" NASCAR contract and is now looking for a permanent house in Montreal for his family.