INDIANAPOLIS -- Jacques Villeneuve had some pretty impressive success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway the last time he tackled the oval, so why not give it a try in stock cars?

Villeneuve finished second to Al Unser Jr. as an Indy 500 rookie in 1994, then ended up having to rally from a two-lap deficit to get his face etched on the Borg-Warner Trophy the following year. And after five visits with Formula One, Villeneuve now is hoping to join Juan Montoya as the only drivers to have started at the Brickyard in three major motorsports series.

“

If we can have a good race, it will definitely be an important one for what happens in the future.

”

-- JACQUES VILLENEUVE

"It's great to be back on the oval, actually, because we came back here a few times with the F1, but it wasn't the oval track," Villeneuve said Friday before practice for Sunday's Brickyard 400. "It was 15 years ago with the Indy 500 and it's an amazing memory. It's a race that then helped me with the rest of my career. So it was a very important race.

"And to come back here on the oval for the Brickyard 400 is amazing. Most of the racing I've done in NASCAR over the last couple of years has been road courses. What I was really wanting to do was the ovals, so to come back and to be on one of the major tracks is very special."

Sam Hornish Jr., who won Indy in 2006, understands Villeneuve's motives. Just like Villenueve and Montoya, he'd love to add a Brickyard 400 trophy to the mantle.

So Hornish can understand why Villeneuve wants to add the Brickyard 400 to his resume.

"I think probably in his opinion, it's having the opportunity to compete in both these races," Hornish said. "I don't think he has it in his head to go out and win. But just be able to compete.

"He's come here and run in two other forms at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, so it's probably a racing checklist of being able to compete here in all three forms of racing at the speedway."

Granted, it'll be an uphill struggle. Villeneuve -- who last ran a Cup car at Phoenix in 2007 -- will have to qualify the No. 32 Toyota on time. But he certainly won't shy away from the challenge.

"First, we have to qualify," Villeneuve said. "This is not a qualified car, so that creates another level of pressure. So, we'll have to spend today on just the qualifying setup and getting used to the track to try and make the show.

"That's the main issue right now. And hopefully it won't rain. Then we'll see how it goes after that. If we can have a good race, it will definitely be an important one for what happens in the future." (Continued)