Who next from F1 to Nascar, if any?

[DavidStHubbins]

I've seen the names of Villeneuve, Heidfeld and even Mika Hakkinen mentioned as having been 'sniffing around' Nascar. I was actually thinking of how Mika would go in Nascar a while ago, he was a fast corner kind of guy.

Who do you reckon will jump over? And how successful will they be? Not all of them will have the benefit of knowing a Nascar owner like JPM. Plus they lack his oval experience and success.

Is this the beginning of a mass European openwheelers influx to Nascar?

Culture clash or revheads are revheads?

I can't wait for JPM's first race

[DavidStHubbins]

Quick Disclaimer - Yes, I know almost nothing of Nascar bar Days of Thunder and maybe a few minutes of actual races.

And I know that there is more to Nascar than being good around fast corners

Any old school Nascar fans that are upset by my ignorance please inform rather than abuse!

[rustyfan]

That Jacques Villeneuve has asked around is no secret, and when it comes to Mika Häkkinen the only solid piece of information available is that he indeed was a visitor at the NEXTEL Cup race at Dover earlier this year.

Didn't even know there were some rumours involving Nick Heidfeld

As for your question, I think the move by Montoya might definitely be the catalyst that, within the next couple of years, sees more and more "outsiders" come over to shop for a ride. We might not necessarily see a lot of them actually make the jump, but I definitely think there will be an increase in interest (especially if Montoya has some success).

For an outsider to become successful they first and foremost need to take the challenge seriously - they can't expect to stroll into the NEXTEL Cup series and immediately beat everyone. Another major factor is also to sign with a good, established team.

There are some pretty good examples:

Scott Pruett and Christian Fittipaldi made the move to NASCAR from Champ Car. Pruett went straight to NEXTEL Cup and joined the brand new PPI team, and as it turns out, it was a disaster. Fittipaldi went straight to NEXTEL Cup as well, and joined Petty Enterprises, who at that time were at absolutely rock-bottom. He too failed miserably.

Tony Stewart, on the other hand, signed with Gibbs Racing, who were on their way up as a team, coming in from the IRL IndyCar Series, and spent most of 1998 running a nearly full Busch Series season, learning the ropes. The year after he stepped up into the Cup Series and the rest is, as they say, history, winning three races in his rookie season and moving on to win a lot more (including two series championships).

The "outsiders" that choose to follow the path taken by Stewart (and now also Montoya, whom I think is doing everything right so far) stand a lot better chance at having some degree of success than those following in the illprepared steps of Pruett and Fittipaldi.

Originally Posted by DavidStHubbins

Quick Disclaimer - Yes, I know almost nothing of Nascar bar Days of Thunder and maybe a few minutes of actual races.

And I know that there is more to Nascar than being good around fast corners

Any old school Nascar fans that are upset by my ignorance please inform rather than abuse!

Check this thread - there are some "newbie-information" there that you perhaps will fight useful

[kingfloopy]

I think Villeneuve will be the next one. But I think he will stay in F1 for as long as he can find a moderately successful ride. If anyone else comes over they will probably be more back or mid-pack drivers that have limited options for F1 rides. Either that or drivers who have "retired" and are looking for new options. That's just my opinion though.

J.D.

[DavidStHubbins]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

Check this thread - there are some "newbie-information" there that you perhaps will fight useful

Thanks rustyfan,

[gomick]

jacques should jump on board now - there are strong rumours going around that he will be replaced at bmw sauber in 07 by there test driver..... add another indy 500 winner to the list

[rustyfan]

I'm guessing Villeneuve will keep a very close eye on how Montoya is doing in NASCAR, and if Montoya finds success it will not only mean Villeneuve might be more interested in making the jump, it might also mean more teams would be interested in looking "outside the box" and offer Villeneuve a good ride.

A lot of this depends on whether or not Montoya is successful though - if he is, it might really get the ball rolling.

[mountainstar]

Just 10 years ago, or even 5 would we be discussing such a subject?

[rustyfan]

I wouldn't have imagined discussing such a subject a mere month ago. I still haven't landed after being completely blown away by the developments this past week.

[VilleneuveTracy]

Originally Posted by rustyfan

I'm guessing Villeneuve will keep a very close eye on how Montoya is doing in NASCAR, and if Montoya finds success it will not only mean Villeneuve might be more interested in making the jump, it might also mean more teams would be interested in looking "outside the box" and offer Villeneuve a good ride.

Roush Racing's president has stated that JV's representatives have been talking to NASCAR teams. Presumably, they also have spoken to Roush. Roush is arguably the best team in NASCAR. Imagine JV in a Roush car! Of course, I think, as you said, that would depend on how well JPM does.

One key difference between F1 and NASCAR is that a NASCAR driver can race much longer than a F1 driver. You can be 50 years old and still race in NASCAR while in F1 driver's don't make it past their mid-30's, even if they were successful drivers. If you are a retired F1 driver why not go to NASCAR and race for another 10-15 years?

[Emfa]

I wonder if NASCAR might give Villeneuve a little bit of encouragement to make the move if it would bolster their plans to move into Canada?