Another F1 refugee eyes NASCAR

(GMM) Another F1 refugee might slip down the NASCAR escape-hatch, according to reports.

Barely a day after Juan Pablo Montoya announced his decision to swap grand prix racing for the world of oval-based tin-tops, it has emerged that fellow former Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve's recent comments about NASCAR might also be kosher.

NASCAR team Roush Racing's president Geoff Smith told the US media that representatives for the BMW-Sauber racer have made 'probing' enquiries, while another former world champion, DTM runner Mika Hakkinen, attended a recent race in the States.

''I just feel it in the air,'' Smith was quoted as saying by Sports Illustrated. ''They're poking around.''

35-year-old Villeneuve, meanwhile, told the Toronto Sun News: ''Going to NASCAR might not be such a bad career move.

''I would not consider it a step down.''