Jimmie Johnson Lends His Support to Jacques Villeneuve as He Attempts to Qualify for the Daytona 500

Next weekend is the Daytona 500 and drivers are preparing for it. Among them is former F1 champion, Jacques Villeneuve, driving for Team Hezeberg. Of course, Villeneuve’s placement on the grid isn’t guaranteed because he has to qualify for it. In light of this, 2-time Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson wished him luck.

Johnson himself is gearing up for another iconic event in his racing calendar. To be precise, he is competing in the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the month of May. Both of them are facing similar situations, where they aren’t really expected to win their respective events. However, stranger things have happened, and races can sometimes be unpredictable.

Now, Villeneuve has to ensure that he qualifies well before the actual race. This is because there are only four spots available for the non-charter teams. In addition to that, there are five cars vying for the four spots. The Canadian veteran knows that he has to focus on this race because it is one of the three biggest races in the world.

What lies ahead for Jacques Villeneuve?

He confessed, “It’s a little bit of a gamble when you have to qualify during the Duels. You could be the quickest car out there and still get caught out. When I tried to qualify years ago … the car was quick, but then I got caught up in a crash and then you don’t make the show. It’s very stressful.”

Now, the driver has some unfinished business with the Daytona 500. This is because he failed to qualify back in 2008, so he wants a second bite of the cherry. However, he will likely be pitted against drivers like Kaz Grala, Timmy Hill, JJ Yeley, and Noah Gragson. The above-mentioned drivers are pretty talented in their own right, so this will not be an easy task for Jacques Villeneuve.

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