JV to compete in truck race
1995
Phoenix starting grid
Racing series CHAMPCAR
Date
Pos Driver Nat Chassis-Engine Time
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1. Bryan Herta USA Reynard 95-Ford XB 19.785
2. Emerson Fittipaldi BR Penske 95-Mercedes 108 19.957
3. Jacques Villeneuve CDN Reynard 95-Ford XB 19.994
10/16/07 Former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to do something this weekend that he has not previously done in his competitive career: Complete a sub-20-second lap.
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Jacques Villeneuve |
Villeneuve is entered in the Kroger 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race for Bill Davis Racing at Martinsville Speedway, where lap times hover around the 20-second mark.
Villeneuve tested for Martinsville at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., last week.
"Well, again, it's another circuit that is new to me," said Villeneuve, who has made one Nextel Cup start and two truck series starts this year. "I must admit that I found it fun to drive Caraway last week, and for now, that's my closest reference point.
"I've just got to keep building on the progress to date, to take it one step at a time, and most importantly, to keep focused on finishing – on covering the maximum distance to help me learn as much as I can."
Villeneuve’s publicists said he has driven a lap under 20 seconds only once before. He drove his F1 car on an asphalt "track" laid out the night before on the roof of a multistory car park in Tokyo as a public relations event for one of his team's sponsors – in the rain.
Suffice to say Martinsville could be more daunting for the NASCAR neophyte.
"I can only imagine how busy it will be out there with all the other trucks all fighting for the same few inches of track," Villeneuve said, "and that's one thing that testing cannot prepare you for." Scenedaily