Villeneuve, Lazier to make NCTS debuts at Las Vegas (cont'd)

Villeneuve says NASCAR is becoming an international sport, which is why so many open-wheel stars are making the move stateside. One man Villeneuve will undoubtedly be compared to is Juan Montoya, another F1 vet who is in his first Nextel Cup season.

Q&A: Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve explains why he wants to race in NASCAR and what's been the toughest part about the transition.

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Villeneuve expects some of the same backlash Montoya has received from some of the drivers, but the two have very different approaches to racing on the track, something he hopes will separate the two newcomers.

"Apparently no matter what you're driving nobody likes the new boy," Villeneuve said. Any time anybody got into F1, we didn't like it, and we made their life hard. So that's a little bit natural. But [Montoya] was like that in Formula One, extremely aggressive and got on people's nerves.

"I guess he kept the same personality going into NASCAR, which once he settles in, it will be all right. He's driving hard, he's fast, and he's making a name for himself. Now he's earning respect, so that's fine. But I've never been as aggressive as him, I would say. But at the same time, NASCAR is a different ball game. So if and when I get in there, I'll figure it out."

Villeneuve was tired of the politics in Formula One, saying the racing was "no fun at all at times," so, he decided to come back home and race in North America, although IRL was never an option.

"No, I didn't look at IRL," he said. "NASCAR, I only concentrated on NASCAR. You know, after Formula One, when you want to carry on racing, you want it to be at a tough level. And in North America, the top level is NASCAR."

Lazier agrees, but the move to stock cars for him goes deeper than just the racing, it goes all the way down to his family.

"When I raced in the IROC series, I was almost envious of all the families," Lazier said. "In the IRL, we didn't really bring our families with us to the same extent as they do in the NASCAR family where it really feels welcoming to the drivers, their children and spouses. I couldn't have found a more perfect fit then with Billy Ballew Motorsports. They are true racers and I feel right at home with the whole team."