JUNE 4, 2008

Villeneuve and NASCAR

There are reports in Canada that Jacques Villeneuve has teamed up with IRL team owner Barry Green and Canadian Grand Prix promoter Normand Legault to find the money to race in NASCAR. The aim seems to be to find the funding to become Chip Ganassi's fourth team alongside Juan Pablo Montoya, Reed Sorenson and Dario Franchitti. Sorenson is out of contract at the end of the year and says that he is currently worrying about his performance rather than the contract situation. The 22-year-old is regarded as one of the rising stars of the NASCAR scene but has really struggled this year.

Franchitti was back in action in the NASCAR Nationwide Series last weekend at Dover in Delaware. Driving his Fastenal-sponsored Ganassi Dodge, Dario started 23rd and finished 15th and retains his lead in the Rookie of the Year standings. Franchitti had been out of action for a month as a result of a crash at Talladega where he suffered a puncture in the Nationwide race and hit the wall. The car spun across the track and was hit by Larry Gunselman, which resulted in a broken left ankle.

Green says that there is no intention to start their own team, as has been reported, but they are looking for money. The NASCAR Nationwide Series, the second level NASCAR series, races in Montreal each year in August, using the Grand Prix track. If Villeneuve was involved it might to possible to get a round of the bigger Sprint Cup and thus make more money.