Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, named after the late Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, sits on a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River.

France on Montreal: 'We're at the right venue'

The NASCAR Busch Series will race Aug. 4, 2007 in Montreal.

After a delay of nearly a week, NASCAR officials made the official announcement Monday in Montreal.

The Busch Series race will be paired with the Grand American Rolex Series -- also making its debut at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve -- on the same weekend. The Grand American race will be on Friday, the Busch race on Saturday.

MARK AUMANN Oh, Canada! Does the Great White North understand what it's getting into with Monday's announcement of a Busch Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?  •   Complete story, click here •   2007 Busch Series schedule

NASCAR officials had made no secret of the fact that they wanted a Busch Series race in Canada as they seek to broaden the sport's appeal and audience, much the same way they did when they began to stage a Busch Series race in Mexico starting in 2005.

"We know that this event is going to expand the footprint of NASCAR," NASCAR chairman Brian France said. "Another thing that we've been looking at for 4 or 5 years, we discovered long ago, that the audience in Canada that follows NASCAR is very big.

"We've been looking for a number of years for a way to satisfy them," France added. "How do we give them live NASCAR-style racing? We haven't been able to find the right venue, the right partnership and the right vision, but today we have."

Busch Series regular Kenny Wallace, who was in Montreal for the announcement, said, "It's a huge step for our series. Everybody says 'How big can NASCAR get?' Just look at the Busch series. I just think it's awesome. For years, everybody has been waiting for it."

The race, which won't have a name until a sponsor is found, will take place on Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The track sits on a man-made island in the St. Lawrence River. It was named after the late Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve, father of 1997 F1 world champ Jacques Villeneuve.

The track has served as a venue for Formula 1 and Champ car series races. The Formula 1 series will stage an event at the facility in June 2007.

"We know we're at the right venue," France said. "We know that the fan interest in Canada will soon be rewarded with the live NASCAR-style side-by-side racing we're famous for."