Almost everybody has
a dream. These days I dream about seeing my finished novel debuting on the New York Times best seller list. But
in my younger days I would go to Darlington and dream about racing cars. Turns out I can write
better than I can drive.
What about those guys
that chase their racing dream? For every Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart out there, you’ll find a thousand guys who excel
in mediocrity on the short tracks of the world. Their chance of racing at Daytona is about the same as mine.
But what about a guy
like Jacques Villeneuve? Here’s a guy with a dream. This is not just any guy though. His racing dream
has already taken him to Victory Lane at the Indianapolis
500. He’s won championships in Cart and Formula One. Late last year he shifted his dream to NASCAR. He and
open wheel comrades Dario Franchitti and Sam Hornish Jr., all announced they would be driving Sprint Cup full time for the
2008 season. That was the plan.
The dream evaporated
with Villeneuve’s turn four crash on lap fourteen of the second Daytona qualifier. A rookie mistake by the driver
took out three other cars, costing himself and Stanton Barrett a chance to qualify for this past Sunday’s Daytona 500. The
tires had barely cooled when, two days later, Bill Davis Racing announced the Canadian had been released and would be replaced
in upcoming events by either Mike Skinner or Johnny Benson already driving in the Craftsman Truck Series for Bill Davis Racing.
Team owner Bill Davis
said, “We know that Jacques has the talent and the desire to be in NASCAR and are diligently working on a long-term
relationship with him." The race team committed continued support to Villeneuve in his pursuit of a career in the Sprint
Cup Series. Effectively what Bill Davis said was; if they can come up with the right sponsor agreement that will fund
Villeneuve’s Sprint Cup effort, they would be more than happy to put him back in a car.
Villeneuve’s release
so quickly into the season is a testimony to the kind of pressure drivers are subject to. Without full-time sponsorship it
was going to be difficult for Bill Davis Racing to continue the relationship with the Canadian. In a packed press conference
today at his trendy restaurant in downtown Montreal, Villeneuve reaffirmed his commitment to drive in the Sprint Cup series. He
is working towards having a ride in place before the Napa Auto Parts 200 on August 2nd in Montreal. For
the foreseeable future Villeneuve will be getting ready for the Le Mans 24 Hours race in June and then focus totally on finding
a NASCAR ride.
"Right now, the Le Mans 24
Hours with Peugeot is very important, but at the same time, we have to build a strong (NASCAR) program not just for a few
races, but for the next five or 10 years," said Villeneuve. "A good starting point would be Montreal.
And the best situation would then be to finish the season in (Sprint) Cup cars. If a sponsor wants to move earlier, that would
be great. I wouldn't say no."
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To help him with his
quest to pilot a ride in Sprint Cup, Villeneuve has lured former car owner, Barry Green out of retirement. Green owned
the cars that he drove to championships in the nineties. When talking about his relationship with Green, Villeneuve said,
“The chemistry with us was always very good. He brings credibility, respect - even though it's NASCAR, there are
a lot of people that he knows and that know him, or that know of him, because of the Champ Car days and the IRL days."
For his part Barry Green
admitted to having discussions with Villeneuve about his NASCAR career over the last few weeks. "He must have told me
five times in the first week how much he loved that series (NASCAR) and loved being in those cars, so I was convinced, I was
bitten and here I am flat out. The main mission is a major sponsor so Jacques can compete,” said Green.
Whatever the future brings
for Jacque Villeneuve his release from Bill Davis Racing may go down as the shortest career in the history of the sport. That’s
a legacy that will be tough to bring back to the track. I’ll be anxious to see what corporation will be willing
to pony up the multi-million dollar deal needed to revive the dream. If Jacque Villeneuve can pull off a return to Sprint
Cup this year there may be a chance for my book. New York Times, here I come!
2006 StockCar Review.
