Villeneuve causes a stir

A storm of controversy is clouding Jacques Villeneuve's attempt to qualify for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race this week at Talladega Superspeedway.
Canada's only Formula One world champion wants to tackle the 2.66-mile oval in the No. 27 Bill Davis Racing Toyota but there are rumblings in the NASCAR garage that he may not be ready to race on the circuit's most dangerous track.
The argument put forward by four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Busch is that to race in a restrictor plate event -- especially in the middle of the Chase for the Championship -- puts not only Villeneuve in danger but the dozen Chasers as well.
Both Gordon and Busch were critical of NASCAR officials for giving Villeneuve the go-ahead to tackle Talladega, and BDR, for letting it happen.
Obviously they weren't paying attention when Villeneuve was winning races and a championship in F-1. He wasn't supposed to do either there as well.
It turns out that Villeneuve's test results at the big Alabama track in a Car of Tomorrow proved to NASCAR that the 36-year-old can hold his own at 200 m.p.h. in a pack of Cup drivers.
And that it was Villeneuve who pressured BDR, not the other way around, to let him give it a try.
BDR general manager Mike Brown told veteran NASCAR writer Mike Mulhern Sunday at the Kansas Speedway that Villeneuve has no reservations about his readiness for the race.
"We evaluated where we stood with him, after the Talladega (CoT) test, and after the Truck race (at Las Vegas), and he actually was the one who came to us and said 'Hey, I'd like to run the Cup race at Talladega,' " Brown said.
As for the Chase race consequences, Brown said that Villeneuve's resume as a F-1 world champion and Indy 500 winner should be enough to calm those fears.
"Jacques tested with these guys at Talladega for two days. And he feels comfortable doing this. This isn't something we pushed for. We were content to stick with our original schedule," Brown said.
"But when a Formula One champion and Indy 500 champion says he's ready, you've got to trust his instincts."

What a bunch of cry babies! I hope Villeneuve kicks some serious NASCAR ass at Talladega! Go Jacques go!
courtesy of http://www.torontosun.com, picture courtesy of http://images.google.ca