Villeneuve, Lazier to make NCTS debuts at Las Vegas

It's not odd to see drivers unfamiliar with a stock car in the Truck Series. After all, this is the series where drivers come to learn and start their careers, hoping to make it big in Nextel Cup.

And with the recent onslaught of open-wheel talent making the shift to NASCAR, seeing an F1 or IRL star at a Truck Series event isn't the craziest thing in the world.

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But when two former Indy 500 winners are making their NASCAR debuts at the same race, then it gets a little exciting. When that race is Saturday's running of the Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET, SPEED), well history is being made.

Jacques Villeneuve, driver of the No. 27 Toyota for Bill Davis Racing and Buddy Lazier, driver of the No. 15 Chevy for Billy Ballew Motorsports will make Truck Series history as two former Indy 500 winners will take in the bright lights of a Truck Series event for the first time and both drivers can't wait to get behind the wheel of their respective trucks.

"IROC really was an eye opener for me into the world of stock car racing," Lazier said. "Racing with the best in the Nextel Cup, Busch Series as well as other race drivers was a blast. It was probably the most fun racing experience for me in my 20 years of professional motorsports. I've been trying to find the right opportunity since then.

"I tested a Craftsman Truck at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2005 for Billy Ballew. I was pretty cautious driving but our times were comparable to the other trucks on the track. I have been looking for an opportunity since then. I've always continued contact with [team spotter] Frank [Bolter] and Billy Ballew and so when the opportunity arose for us to race in Las Vegas I jumped at the chance."

Lazier, who won the IRL Championship in 2000 and the Indy 500 in 1996, has raced at Las Vegas before, just not in a stock car -- and not on the new configuration which debuted in the Truck Series last year.

Still, Lazier knows this is his chance to shine, and there is no better place than bright lights of Sin City.

"I've driven at the track in Las Vegas but with the old configuration, so I'll be studying up on last year's race this week and am looking forward to a lot of seat time during practice," Lazier said. "I anticipate a good start and finish then see what develops from there.

"Obviously, I'd love to continue racing in a top-tier NASCAR Series and hope I can make a good start on Saturday in Las Vegas."

For Villeneuve, the pressure of a solid finish isn't weighing quite as much.

A racer since 1985, the 1997 Formula One champion and 1995 Indy 500 winner knows this season is a stepping stone to a future with Bill Davis Racing in the Cup Series and learning is priority number one.

"I've completed five days of testing so far in NASCAR vehicles," Villeneuve said. "Our goal when we started this program with Bill Davis Racing was to just get comfortable in the cars and trucks, and get in as many miles as possible, but testing can also be tedious. I'm excited to finally get back to racing."

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.

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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."