NASCAR: Jacques Villeneuve Set for NASCAR Nationwide Series Debut in Montreal

JACQUES VILLENEUVE QUICK FACTS
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve // Napa Auto Parts 200 // August 2, 2008

*       Jacques Villeneuve joins Braun Racing for this weekend's second annual NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the track that bears his namesake to pilot the No. 32 Toyota Camry.  Villeneuve's No. 32 Camry will be sporting the colors of Groupe Savoie of Les Résidences Soleil, Schick Canada, L'Équipeur and Marks Work Wearhouse, the UPS Store Canada, Hype Energy Drinks, VIA Rail and Ganotech.
*       This weekend will mark Villeneuve's first career start in the Nationwide Series. Over the last year and a half, he has made seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts and two Nextel Cup Series starts. 
*       Jacques Villeneuve has captured championships in both the CART Series in 1995 and Formula 1 two years later. He has also won the 1995 Indy 500. Villeneuve last raced in Montréal in 2006 with the BMW Sauber F1 Team. He scored his best Montreal F1 results in 1996 with a second place finish. 

VILLENEUVE ON LAST WEEK'S TEST SESSION AT KERSHAW: "The test went really very well; almost better than I expected.  Driving the Nationwide cars on the street course was a big surprise to me. It's very different than the other cars I have driven.  It was a great learning experience.  The Braun Racing team was excellent to work with and as the car became more familiar to me and we got into a rhythm as a team it was a lot of fun.  After the two days of testing we got the car set-up so that we should be very competitive this weekend."

VILLENEUVE ON THE CHALLENGES OF DRIVING HIS FIRST RACE IN A NATIONWIDE CAR: "Knowing the track as I do is obviously a big advantage but I do worry about the Formula 1 habits that I have already formed.  My biggest worry is my brake lines. I will have to constantly remind myself not to use the Formula 1 brake markers that I am accustomed to."

VILLENEUVE ON MAKING HIS FIRST SERIES START AT THE TRACK THAT BEARS HIS NAMESAKE: "I am very grateful and happy to have the opportunity to drive for Braun Racing in Montreal.  The people of Montreal and Canada love their racing and this town is going to go crazy!  It's super exciting for me to be here to race for the Canadian fans and I hope that the set up we fine tuned during testing will work for us in Montreal this weekend.

VILLENEUVE ON WORKING WITH THE BRAUN RACING TEAM: The Braun Racing team is great.  To drive for a team with such experience helps alleviate any worry I might have about my first Nationwide Series race.  I know that we will be well prepared and have a fighting chance for success.  The team members were excited as well when we tested last week and all that energy goes both ways.

EQUIPMENT INFORMATION: The No. 32 team will unload chassis # 19 in this weekend's Napa Auto Parts 200.  This is the same car that Jason Leffler raced to a 21st place finish in the season's first road course race in Mexico City.

From Stacey M. Thompson // Braun Racing