Jacques Villeneuve, IROC In Limbo
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Posted by Jeremy Dunn Feb 19, 2008 |
The sponsorship quest can be daunting and Jacques Villeneuve is living proof. The established open-wheel veteran had no idea that finding adequate sponsorship support would be this challenging. Villeneuve has expressed his desire to compete in NASCAR's highest level of competition for several years now and finally had his chance with Bill Davis Racing and Toyota.
He was scheduled to compete the entire Sprint Cup schedule and vie for the Rookie of the Year honors along with Regan Smith and fellow open-wheelers Sam Hornish Jr, Dario Franchitti, and Patrick Carpentier. However, the sponsorship search has come up empty and Bill Davis Racing officials have announced that Johnny Benson and Mike Skinner will drive the #27 Toyota for the time being.
Villeneuve's plans are up in the air. He still hopes that a sponsorship package can be established for his Sprint Cup effort, but in the meantime, he is in limbo.
The IROC Series is on the verge of extinction as officials announced that they will auction off the cars and miscellaneous equipment. The IROC Series has produced some of the most exicting racing and has featured some of auto racing's best drivers.
“We’re all very sad to see IROC come to an end, but the competition for major corporate sponsorship is very tough and the car manufacturers have not shown any interest. We kept hope alive as long as we could but now it’s time to look forward and move on," said President Jay Signore.
The series has suffered through the same sponsorship tribulations as aspiring Sprint Cup driver Jacques Villeneuve.