1997 F-1 Champ Jacques Villeneuve has been thinking about taking his dyed blonde locks and rich racing pedigree to NASCAR next season if things don’t work out in Formula One. “Why not? It’s not something I know or understand, but it would be worth looking into — anything can be good and fun if it’s done the right way,” he said. “The problem with NASCAR is that if you’re from the outside, you are in a battle of your own, aren’t you? From what I hear, the drivers make a lot — not directly — but it’s not too bad.” Villeneuve admitted yesterday that he’s mulling a number of options outside F-1, including driving in the 24-hour sportscar race at Le Mans, but added quickly that the two open-wheeled racing series in the United States are not on his radar screen. With Championship Auto Racing Teams floundering and soon to be under new management, Villeneuve is interested to see how things turn out for the series, but he won’t be part of the rebuilding process. When asked about the possibility of driving in CART’s rival Indy Racing League, run by U.S. Grand Prix promoter Tony George, Villeneuve pulled no punches. “I would never race in IRL because it has destroyed open-wheeled racing in North America, which is too bad because the Indy 500 has always been the biggest, most important race in the world and now it’s been tainted by the fact that there’s now two series.” But, despite his stock car dreams, a reliable source in the U.S. Grand Prix paddock said the Canadian wouldn’t be looking too far for his next employer after F-1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone approached Jaguar this week about hiring Villeneuve for 2004.( Globe and Mail ), see past news on my Drivers Looking page .(9-26-2003)
