Villeneuve: "Best form of racing... something I have to learn from scratch."
Jimmy Spencer: "Way past Juan Pablo Montoya... Jacques Villeneuve will make it."

Jacques Villeneuve, a former Formula One and CART champion who also won the Indianapolis 500, made his NASCAR debut in Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He spoke to NASCAR RaceDay's Wendy Venturini in "The Real Deal with Wendy Venturini" about his future in NASCAR with Bill Davis Racing, for whom he is scheduled to compete in the 2008 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

Venturini: Why NASCAR?

Villeneuve: "NASCAR is very different than anything I've ever done before and it's probably where you get the best racing nowadays. When you watch the racing, there's passing and a lot of talent. It's getting attention even in Europe and it's on the way up."

Venturini: You'll be running the No. 27 on your NASCAR Craftsman Truck. Tell race fans the significance of that No. 27.

Villeneuve: "It's the number my dad had when he was racing at Ferrari in the end and it was the number I had when I won the Indy 500, so it's been a good number for me."

Venturini: A lot of people say they try to achieve things to prove something to their parents and make their parents proud. Do you think your father would be proud of the things you're doing now?

Villeneuve: "I'm sure he (my father) would be very proud of all I've achieved so far and he would be proud to see that I'm still hungry and still excited about driving, which is a very important factor."

Venturini: What is your biggest fear of coming to NASCAR?

Villeneuve: "Being accepted by the other drivers. You can't race out there alone and you need to earn their respect. That's obvious when you've been drafting and testing and if you're out there on your own, you'll be last."

Venturini: You seem like one of those guys who is just racing for fun. I don't know if money is a factor or a motivation but what is your true motivation to race in NASCAR now?

Villeneuve: "It's the best form of racing, very professional and a great challenge. If it wasn't a great challenge, it wouldn't be interesting. It's something I have to learn from scratch."

Venturini: You don't seem like a driver who will back down to anyone. Even when you were an F1 rookie against Michael Schumacher, you didn't back down. Do you think you won't back down to these NASCAR drivers?

Villeneuve: "I don't think it's a question of backing down. Before backing down, you have to earn the respect of everyone around you and learn to back down and come back stronger. The races are long. It's who leads the last lap that matters - not who leads the first 50 or 100 laps."

Venturini: I have to talk about Bill Davis Racing and I have to be honest... they haven't been stellar in winning. What do you see in them and how can you change that?

Villeneuve: "First of all, the Truck program at Bill Davis Racing has been great, which is very important for me to get in NASCAR and learn the ropes and get the experience. Make sure you get in a car that already drives properly so you can learn your trade. Then in the Cup cars, if you look at the beginning of the season until now, they're on their way up. It's always nicer to win with people who are on eager and on their way up than the other way around."

Jimmy Spencer, analyst on NASCAR RaceDay: "We've got to look at Jacques Villeneuve's record - he was the 1995 Indy 500 winner, he won a CART championship, 11 Formula One wins and a Formula One championship. That's way past Juan Pablo Montoya. Jacques Villeneuve will make it. Is he with the right team? I don't know - time will tell. The bottom line is Jacques Villeneuve will be a factor in this sport. It may not be at Bill Davis Racing but let's not give up on Tommy Baldwin and those guys at Bill Davis yet."

Kenny Wallace, analyst on NASCAR RaceDay: "Jacques Villeneuve is too big of a name for anybody to give up on him. We admire him. There was pandemonium over Juan Pablo Montoya coming over here. One thing I need to draw a point to - all of Bill Davis Racing's cars are outside the top 35. Dave Blaney missed this race (Dover Cup race). What I'm worried about is Villeneuve actually having a performance in the Daytona 500. Will he make the Daytona 500 and how hard will it be on him?"

SPEED, now in more than 77 million homes in North America, is the exclusive home of the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, Gatorade Duels at Daytona, NASCAR Nextel Pit Crew Challenge and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The only network delivering live, at-track programming all season long, SPEED offers the definitive pre- and post-race NASCAR Nextel Cup Series programs - NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane, as well as other popular NASCAR programs including Trackside Live, Tradin' Paint, NASCAR Performance, NASCAR Live!, Inside Nextel Cup and Go or Go Home.