TALLADEGA, Ala. -- If Canadian driver Jacques Villeneuve's skin wasn't thick after years of racing in Formula One, it is now.

The world-class, championship caliber driver spent Friday preparing to qualify for his first Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway under fire from several top Cup drivers who claimed he didn't belong on the track.

"I don't think that they're saying I'm not qualified. They are concerned for their Chase. In their shoes, I would say the same thing. You don't want any unknowns out there," said the 36-year-old Villeneuve after final practice Friday. "But at the same time I've always tried to race intelligently and I'm not here to try and be a hero."

Winner of CART and F-1 championships and the 1995 Indianapolis 500, Villeneuve said after Cup practice that he just wants to "get the mileage and get ready for Daytona."

Although Chase points leader Jeff Gordon said he shouldn't be cutting his teeth on the Talladega Superspeedway.

"I think it is risky. I just don't think that it makes a lot of sense, not for them to be doing it, but for NASCAR to approve them to be running this race," Gordon said. "I think that there are plenty of other tracks and races like the ARCA race and the Truck race that gets them enough experience to get ready for Daytona."

Gordon is one of several Cup drivers who have publicly voiced opposition to NASCAR's decision to approve Villeneuve, despite his racing credentials abroad and recently in the Craftsman Truck Series.

His first foray into superspeedway action came during a Car of Tomorrow test last month. He set the third-fastest time in one drafting session and was 11th in another, although he was last (out of 62) in his only single-car run. In his Craftsman Truck Series debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he finished 21st.

NASCAR doesn't see a problem.

Kerry Tharp, spokesman for NASCAR, said Villeneuve didn't raise any red flags during the practice sessions Friday.

"He ran [24th in final session] in the middle of the pack," Tharp said. "And really the best thing about his performance is that we really didn't notice him."

The driver said he isn't trying to make waves or ruin anyone's Chase dreams, he's merely eager to start a new chapter in his storied racing career.

"The goal is always to get to the top level, no matter what series you're racing in," said Villeneuve, son of Canadian legend Gilles Villeneuve. "The racing in NASCAR, though, is unbeatable. In Formula One, it's fun when you're running at the front. The minute you're not at the front anymore, it's boring. NASCAR is fun all of the time."

Penske Racing driver and Cup contender Kurt Busch said he understands; he was once in Villeneuve shoes, but there is a process to follow.

"I remember the procedure and it seemed he got those credentials and access very easily," he said. "I remember starting on a short track, then a mile-and-a half and then bring an ARCA car to Daytona. But he's right in the fire; sink or swim, that's what he'll have to do."

"There are two sides to every story," Clint Bowyer said. "I'd like to see him have to earn it a little bit but then again they have earned it in other forms of auto racing and certainly their name helps."

Villeneuve plans to run the Sprint Cup full time in 2008 in his family's famous No. 27 for Bill Davis Racing.

If he makes the race Sunday, Villeneuve will pilot a Toyota Camry wrapped in UNICEF blue making him just the second F-1 world champion to compete in a NASCAR event. Mario Andretti made 14 Grand National starts, winning his only race in the 1967 Daytona 500. Andretti won the 1978 F-1 title.