Villeneuve to race Nationwide at Road America.

[Tazio]

I'm not a big fan of his, but you have to admire his constatution (actually you don't as this is not his first chioce of racing disiplines :dozey :) because the guy is a racer (or depending on your perspective a "hanger on" ;) )

Canadian racing standout Jacques Villeneuve's star has faded since he won the 1997 Formula One championship and the 1995 Indianapolis 500. He'll be racing in the NASCAR Nationwide series at Road America this weekend and is hoping to crank his career back up.
I hope he succeeds, because at 39 he's toast in F1, and considering the disapointing nature of Mike's comeback, I think he could probably do well for one of the new teams, but what's the use!
J-boogity boogity-V Get down with your bad self :beer:
http://www.cbssports.com/autoracing/story/13539266/exf1-champ-villeneuve-to-race-at-road-america-in-comeback-bid/rss

[call_me_andrew]

It's nice to know he's still alive.

[Mark in Oshawa]

JV was fastest in practice too.....So he still has it!

[Tazio]

JV was fastest in practice too.....So he still has it! This is a road race correct?
Unless Boris Said is in the field he should be able to beat these guy with a riding mower..........Well that may be a bit of an exaggeration ;)
Go JV you’re representing for Canada, Quebec, Montreal, French Canadians, Francophile's, and F1. :crazy:
BTW I apologize if I left anyone out!

[Lee Roy]

Anyone out there watching?

[Jonesi]

Yes I'm watching. JV seams to have everyone handled but Carl Edwards. Probably stay that way until the last lap, then.... ;)

[Lee Roy]

Looks like a pretty good crowd. Glad NASCAR stayed in the area for the fans.

[Lee Roy]

I wish they'd quit screwing around and throw the green! I wish I'd waited and watched it by DVR, but I couldn't wait to see JV.

[Jag_Warrior]

I'm glad I didn't try to DVR this one. I would have missed the finish... and Jacques' car dying on the last 2 laps!!! :mad:

Great drive by Edwards though. He really put on a driving clinic. Also, I have to say that I liked the way NASCAR flagged this race. I didn't see every lap, but the laps I did see didn't have any mystery/unnecessary cautions. Anybody who was able to attend this one got their money's worth.

[Jag_Warrior]

I just saw a big Ferrari flag in the Road America crowd! What do you think about that, a Ferrari flag at a NASCAR race?! As good as seeing a Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac? ;)

[Tazio]

I just saw a big Ferrari flag in the Road America crowd! What do you think about that, a Ferrari flag at a NASCAR race?! As good as seeing a Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac? ;) :up: Great Eagles/Baseball/Hurtin' Song simile
BTW missed the whole race. Took my niece fishing :s

[call_me_andrew]

I'm glad I didn't try to DVR this one. I would have missed the finish... and Jacques' car dying on the last 2 laps!!! :mad:

Great drive by Edwards though. He really put on a driving clinic. Also, I have to say that I liked the way NASCAR flagged this race. I didn't see every lap, but the laps I did see didn't have any mystery/unnecessary cautions. Anybody who was able to attend this one got their money's worth.

Every caution had a purpose; I like that.

[Tazio]

:up: Great Eagles/Baseball/Hurtin' Song simile
BTW missed the whole race. Took my niece fishing :s Of course I meant Don Hendley :grenade:

[Chaparral66]

I watched the race at Road America today. NASCAR looked really good on this legendary roadcourse, I hope they come back next year.

JV looked real good today, making excellent and gutsy passes at various points, showing he hasn't lost a thing. I'm hoping he gets a stable ride. Looks like he's got for Montreal, hope he can turn this into something.

[Chaparral66]

JV was fastest in practice too.....So he still has it!

Yes, he does, and I suspect he'll show something on the ovals, if he can get a ride for those, too.

[Lee Roy]

I'm glad I didn't try to DVR this one. I would have missed the finish... and Jacques' car dying on the last 2 laps!!! :mad:

Great drive by Edwards though. He really put on a driving clinic. Also, I have to say that I liked the way NASCAR flagged this race. I didn't see every lap, but the laps I did see didn't have any mystery/unnecessary cautions. Anybody who was able to attend this one got their money's worth.

I've learned to always add a couple of extra hours to my recording time. Great race. Too bad JV's car let him down.

Thank goodness there weren't a bunch of those interminable GWC's at the end.

[Lee Roy]

Yes, he does, and I suspect he'll show something on the ovals, if he can get a ride for those, too.

Hopefully his impressive run at RA will result in something. I have my fingers crossed.

[wedge]

Hard luck on JV


I watched the race at Road America today. NASCAR looked really good on this legendary roadcourse, I hope they come back next year.

Only thing I didn't like was seeing the cars go round The Kink and up and down the straights what looked like at snail's pace.

Just a bit wrong if you ask me. Guess I've got problems adjusting between 3500lb/1500lb race cars on a fast open road course

[slorydn1]

I thought the race was pretty cool. I could have done without the long red flag (still trying to figure out why it took so long) and it really did suck for JV. I was pulling for him since Harvick wasn't in the race.

[wbcobrar]

I was at Road America and man was that race cool! My normal ALMS crew came along , about half of them could care less about NASCAR , but all became converts!!!! along with many others in attendance . The red flag took so long because of the pure automotive carnage that happens when someone misses turn six with a big pack of cars behind them. There was a mini Exxon Valdees going on up there and if they would have not got that stuff out of there, everyone would have spun . We were watching at the hurry downs , and were in the process of moving to another spot , and just happened to move to the inside of six when the wreck happened. I'm not a fan of crashes , but man was that crazy to see that close ! Even though I'm a big Edwards fan Villeneuve was the only car that could hang with him and you never want to win one like that . There was a ton of Canadians camping , and I was happy to see Fellows take second , hope that eased the sting a bit. Man I hope they come back next year !!!!

[Bob Riebe]

Hopefully his impressive run at RA will result in something. I have my fingers crossed.
The Trans-Am which ran the same week-end, pole was in the 2:06 range verses the Nationwide 2:14 range.

What engines, and engine set-up do the Nationwide cars use?

[Mark in Oshawa]

I was at Road America and man was that race cool! My normal ALMS crew came along , about half of them could care less about NASCAR , but all became converts!!!! along with many others in attendance . The red flag took so long because of the pure automotive carnage that happens when someone misses turn six with a big pack of cars behind them. There was a mini Exxon Valdees going on up there and if they would have not got that stuff out of there, everyone would have spun . We were watching at the hurry downs , and were in the process of moving to another spot , and just happened to move to the inside of six when the wreck happened. I'm not a fan of crashes , but man was that crazy to see that close ! Even though I'm a big Edwards fan Villeneuve was the only car that could hang with him and you never want to win one like that . There was a ton of Canadians camping , and I was happy to see Fellows take second , hope that eased the sting a bit. Man I hope they come back next year !!!!

I wish I was there. I would have had the Maple Leaf flying. No one had anything for Edwards, but man, did Villeneuve make it interesting? Ron drove his usual fast but conservative race (He never brings the car back wrecked through anything he does, and if left alone, usually puts the car at the front of the field somewhere). IN short, It was a pretty good showing for the Frost bitten Canadian boys, with young JR. Fitzpatrick 7th. Best news of that Saturday though was hearing Andrew Ranger won the support NASCAR Camping World West series race at Infineon...

[slorydn1]

The Trans-Am which ran the same week-end, pole was in the 2:06 range verses the Nationwide 2:14 range.

What engines, and engine set-up do the Nationwide cars use?

The same basic 358 cid V-8 the cup cars use but with a 390 cfm carb and a tapered spacer (a fancy restrictor plate). Although exact numbers are never released by nascar, the talking heads on all the nascar shows pretty much agree that the tapered spacer took 80-90 hp away from the 2007 and earlier spec Nationwide/Truck Series engine and that they are roughly 150-200 hp less than a Sprint Cup car now. The Toyota, R07 Chevy, and FR9 Ford engines are saddled with slightly smaller spacer than the old Ford and Dodge engine's (or any SB2 Chevy engines that may still be running around out there, though I doubt there are any left).

There are some other restrictions, too, that the engine guru's around here could explain much better than I- lower compression ratio's, as well as something to do with the valve train thats legal in Cup but not Nationwide/truck engines, but I honestly forgot what that was.

On one of the shows this weekend, Larry Mac stated he heard that ECR Cup engines had apprx 870 rear wheel hp, which would put the RCR and KHI cars at right around 700hp give or take in the Nationwide Series.

[Mark in Oshawa]

The same basic 358 cid V-8 the cup cars use with a 390 cfm carb and a tapered spacer (a fancy restrictor plate). Although exact numbers are never released by nascar, the talking heads on all the nascar shows pretty much agree that the tapered spacer took 80-90 hp away from the 2007 and earlier spec Nationwide/Truck Series engine and that they are roughly 150-200 hp less than a Sprint Cup car now. The Toyota, R07 Chevy, and FR9 Ford engines are saddled with slightly smaller spacer than the old Ford and Dodge engine's (or any SB2 Chevy engines that may still be running around out there, though I doubt there are any left).

There are some other restrictions, too, that the engine guru's around here could explain much better than I- lower compression ratio's, as well as something to do with the valve train thats legal in Cup but not Nationwide/truck engines, but I honestly forgot what that was.

On one of the shows this weekend, Larry Mac stated he heard that ECR Cup engines had apprx 870 rear wheel hp, which would put the RCR and KHI cars at right around 700hp give or take in the Nationwide Series.

700 hp would be about right. Where the Trans Am cars kill them is they sit around 1000 lbs lighter, and have better tires and more sophisticated suspensions. Nothing has less tire per lb. than any of the NASCAR 3 main series....and it shows in how the cars really have to be driven hard to make them corner while holding it on a ragged edge.

[tstran17_88]

Has anyone seen or heard an actual attendance number for the Nationwide race at RA? Before the race, they were predicting between 50 to 60,000. That would be almost twice as many that showed up to the Mile last year.

(We sat up on a hill overlooking turns 13 and 14. We also could see turn five from our vantage point.)

[Tazio]

(We sat up on a hill overlooking turns 13 and 14. We also could see turn five from our vantage point.)Thank you for rubbing that in :mad: ;)

[slorydn1]

Has anyone seen or heard an actual attendance number for the Nationwide race at RA? Before the race, they were predicting between 50 to 60,000. That would be almost twice as many that showed up to the Mile last year.

(We sat up on a hill overlooking turns 13 and 14. We also could see turn five from our vantage point.)

Racing Reference has it at about 50k.