Villeneuve to join BDR and race in the '08 Cup season

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- If there is one thing about former Formula One drivers when they come into NASCAR, it's that they know how to move fast.

Hoping to mirror the steps sown by former F1 driver Juan Montoya, who now drives the No. 42 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Nextel Cup Series, former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve will soon embark on a path that could place him in his own Cup ride for Bill Davis Racing before this season is complete.

Davis, the owner whose teams run Toyotas, said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway that he will put Villeneuve in the final seven Craftsman Truck Series events this season, plus the ARCA event at Talladega Superspeedway -- all in an attempt to prove to NASCAR officials that the former F1 star will be ready for a full-time Cup ride by 2008. But Davis didn't rule out Villeneuve getting some seat time in a Cup car by the end of '07.

"I don't know. He's going to do some Cup testing, some Car of Tomorrow testing, and maybe toward the end of the year we do run a Cup race," Davis said. "We'll just kind of see how things go."

Asked why he was planning to start Villeneuve off in the Truck Series, Davis replied: "I think it's just a good starting point. We've got a successful Truck program, and trucks that run up front and win races, and good teammates for him to pull from. It just makes sense. That's something he could step into that's working on a weekly basis, something that he can build his confidence in."

Villeneuve won 11 races in Formula One, but last ran in the circuit in 2006 and hasn't won since he captured the F1 title in 1997 -- his second year in the series. He also is a former Indy 500 champion and a former CART open-wheel champion, having won both that prestigious race and the CART championship in 1995 before moving on to F1.

Davis said Villeneuve will participate in a Truck Series test with his new BDR teammate, Mike Skinner, this Monday in Chicago.

Montoya and Villeneuve had a sometimes contentious relationship when they competed against each other in F1. But Friday, after qualifying on the front row for Sunday's Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Montoya said he welcomes the Canadian into NASCAR.

"I think it's cool. I think it's nice to see Jacques come in and hopefully he does well," said Montoya, who qualified second for Sunday's race and will start on the front row alongside pole winner Kasey Kahne. "If I can help him in any way, I will. He's a nice guy."

Davis admitted that Montoya's success as a Nextel Cup rookie influenced his decision to pursue Villeneuve. Montoya has one win this season and also qualified on the outside of the front row for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway .

"I think that's got everybody's attention all year long -- the fact that he's come in here and had the success that he's had. And mostly that he hasn't struggled," Davis said of Montoya, who currently is 19th in points. "I think even with the talent that everybody knew he had, you expected some problems and tough days -- and he really hasn't had any. So that was something, obviously, that we looked at."

Montoya said he does not consider himself as opening the door for merely more F1 drivers to try their nimble hands at NASCAR.

"I think I opened the door for a lot more people -- not from Formula One, but people that are afraid of coming to NASCAR because they thought, `Aw, it's so much different nobody can do it.' With myself being competitive, I think people are saying, `Man this is the sport to be in,' " Montoya said.

Davis said he is still working on getting a sponsorship deal set for Villeneuve.

"Everybody is working on that," Davis said. "It's not that hard to build racecars. It's getting them funded that's the hard part."

Davis also said he is confident that Villeneuve can be competitive quickly at the Cup level in the Toyota Camry that has been a struggle for others to drive in its first season.

"If you've got good equipment, which we think we have, and a great driver, you ought to be able to do it. That's the way we feel," Davis said. "I'm not sure it's going to be a tremendous challenge. He's got such talent, and desire to do this, and focus and credentials, that I think we can make it work."

Montoya had one last piece of advice for his former F1 colleague about stock-car racing.

"You have to be patient," he said. "There are going to be good, bad and evil races."