Villeneuve to pilot No. 51 Cup car at Sonoma

Jacques Villeneuve, the 1995 Formula 1 champion, will pilot the No. 51 TAG Heuer Eyewear Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing in Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Villeneuve, 42, has three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, nine Nationwide Series starts and seven Camping World Truck Series races to his credit. In Nationwide road-course competition, he has four top-five finishes – including three at his home track in Montreal — and six top-10s.

"We wanted to put a driver in our No. 51 Chevrolet who would give us the best chance to win at Sonoma Raceway," said James Finch, team owner. "When the opportunity came up to have someone like Jacques Villeneuve in our car, we were very happy to make that happen."

Last year at Sonoma, Kurt Busch finished third and led two laps in the No. 51 for Phoenix Racing.