Daytona Beach | Against all odds, Jacques Villeneuve secured his qualification for the Daytona 500-mile classic on Wednesday night during the qualifying session.
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“It’s a surprise,” cried Jacques Villeneuve when he saw that he had achieved the second-fastest time among the six contenders who had not been guaranteed the most important car test on the planet.
“The car behaved much better than it did the day before,” said the man who became the second Quebecer in history to participate in the Daytona 500. Montreal was preceded by Dick Foley 62 years ago.
Photography by Louis Boucher
Jacques Villeneuve with his wife, Mara Julia.
“You’ve done the job for a small team like ours that debuted in the NASCAR Cup,” he added.
Tonight Villeneuve will participate in one of the “duels” that will be used to form the starting grid. But, regardless, his place among 40 newbies was confirmed and no one would be able to steal it.
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