Jacques Villeneuve, who has obtained open wheel glory in
winning multiple championships in the CART and Formula One world will run two
races later this year for Penske Racing in the #22 Discount Tire Dodge
Challenger.Villeneuve, who is somewhat
of a road-race specialist, will compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the
Road America 200 at Road America in Wisconsin on June 23rd and at
the NAPA Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge on August 18th which will
take place in Montreal at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – a course named after Jacques
Villeneuve’s father.
Villeneuve might be better known for his time behind the
wheel of “Indy cars” but the French Canadian racer has made 7 previous starts
in the ranks of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. His most successful outings in NASCAR were at the Montreal Circuit
Gilles Villeneuve in 2010 when he finished 3rd along with another 3rd
place finish at Road America last year. Jacques has been to victory lane at both of these tracks in his open
wheel days and the venue named after his father is technically his home track.
Villeneuve got off to a great start in Montreal last season
in the #22 Penske Dodge, starting on the pole and leading a great many of the
early laps but he ran into problems on a restart that sent him off track – and then
off to the garage area for repairs.He
finished the race two laps down in a disappointing 27th place.Should Villeneuve be able to show the same
dominance minus the restart issues – he could find himself climbing to the top
spot on the NASCAR podium for the first time in his brief stock car career.
Jacques Villeneuve will be the third driver to pilot the #22
Discount Tire Dodge Challenger, joining NASCAR Sprint Cup regular Brad
Keselowski and Camping World Truck Series regular Parker Kilgerman.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
Jacques Villeneuve, who has obtained open wheel glory in