Villeneuve eyes $5M IndyCar prize

Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve. 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner and CART IndyCar champion, who went on to win the 1997 F1 World Championship, is reportedly considering a comeback to open-wheel racing to chase the $5m bonus on offer from the IZOD IndyCar Series to an "outsider" who can win the season finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

AUTOSPORT reports that Villeneuve is in discussions with IndyCar regarding one of the five "wild card" spots that will be available for the Oct. 16 race. Villeneuve had not raced in North American open-wheel racing since quitting CART for F1 with Williams in 1996 and, barring a brief flirtation with Lotus last year, has generally dismissed prospects for returning, preferring instead to focus on NASCAR racing. He has made 15 starts across all three tiers of NASCAR's national series over the past four years.