Villeneuve to debut at 'Dega, Gordon not pleased

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Former Formula One and Indianapolis 500 champion Jacques Villeneuve will attempt to make his Nextel Cup debut next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. And Jeff Gordon isn't happy about it.

The Canadian earned approval from NASCAR to race on the 2.66-mile track after participating in the recent Car of Tomorrow test at the Alabama facility, where he turned more laps than any other driver. His Nextel Cup plans were accelerated after a 21st-place finish in last week's Craftsman Truck event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his first appearance in a NASCAR race.

• Q&A: Jacques Villeneuve
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"I'm really happy that NASCAR has given me its approval so quickly, and having run Talladega with the Cup drivers, I'm really looking forward to it," Villeneuve said in a release from his Bill Davis Racing team. "It's a huge step in my learning process, and I'm realistic in my expectations. Every one of those guys is quick, and all the teams are good, too. NASCAR, and in particular [the] COT has been fun so far, and I hope that doesn't change in front of that big Talladega crowd."

But four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, the current points leader, would rather Villeneuve choose another venue for his maiden event in NASCAR's premier series.

"I like Jacques and I'm a big fan of his, but I think that's not the right decision to make. I didn't think it was the right decision last year with David Gilliland. Nothing against their talent or anything else. I just look at that race, in the Chase -- why? You want to go run a race, go run Atlanta. Go to some mile-and-a-half tracks. I'm very, very surprised that that was approved for the first Cup race," Gordon said Friday at Kansas Speedway, site of Sunday's LifeLock 400.

"I don't agree with it, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it, either. Jacques Villeneuve, he did a nice job at the test, but you can't base anything off a test. That's just crazy. You've got to have a race. I watched him in the truck race last week. Yeah, he did a nice job, but he wasn't really in contention, he wasn't really in the thick of things. He just didn't bounce off anything, which was very good. But I think you need to get him some experience in something else before you go stick him in a Cup race, especially when it's so crucial for the championship."

Kyle Busch, Gordon's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, was equally as concerned when told of Villeneuve's plans.

"He's doing what? Holy cow, that's not good," Busch said. "You've got to start somewhere, but the Cup series at Talladega definitely isn't the place to start. I think he ran his first truck race and did all right. He ran well, and I think running more truck races through the rest of the year -- which I'm sure they're planning on doing -- is going to be good, but to get ready for next year. I guess Talladega is the first test to get ready for next year."

NASCAR believes Villeneuve is qualified. "Our resume committee has looked at Villeneuve, his history and his experience, and made the decision to approve him to race at Talladega," series spokeman Ramsey Poston said.

Davis, who was not at Kansas Speedway on Friday, will also enter Villeneuve in the Craftsman Truck event next week at Talladega. His No. 27 Nextel Cup car, which will enter without any owner points, will be forced to make Sunday's big show on speed.

"Jacques ran a lot of laps in the COT test at Talladega, he ran well in the draft, he earned a lot of respect and he didn't make anybody mad," said crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe. "I'm really glad to see new blood coming into the sport, and I'm glad to be a part of it."

But Gordon would rather it happen somewhere other than Talladega, the big, menacing restrictor-plate venue famous for multi-vehicle pileups. All the competitors will be driving at Talladega in the Car of Tomorrow for the first time, another concern for Chase contenders who just want to get away from Alabama with their cars in one piece. In that atmosphere, Gordon said, a rookie trying to find his way isn't exactly welcome.

"I'm fired up about it," he said. "I'm focused on a championship and the Chase here and I'm trying not to get too caught up in it. There's a lot I'd like to say about it. It has nothing to do with Jacques Villeneuve or Bill Davis. I think it's great what they're doing, and I want to see him in the Cup series. But not at Talladega. There's too much on the line. It's a track that is not for rookies. I think that no matter whether he's one of the most experienced racecar drivers in the world, it's just not the place to start. There are so many other tracks to start at. Why start there? It makes no sense to me, other than the fact that NASCAR approved Gilliland last year under a similar situation, and they kind of got themselves into a box with that one."