Villeneuve, who won the F1 title in 1997 two years after his 1995 Indy 500 victory, ensured himself of a starting spot in NASCAR’s biggest race of the season on Sunday in qualifying on Wednesday night.
Driving the #27 Hezeberg Ford Mustang, the Canadian takes one of the four non-charter spots on the grid, with Beard Motorsports’ Noah Gragson also locking himself in via time trials.
Greg Biffle, Kaz Grala, Timmy Hill and J.J. Yeley will battle for the two remaining spots in the field for non-charter teams in Thursday night’s Duel races.
It will be Villeneuve’s first NASCAR Cup start since 2013 and his debut in the Daytona 500, having failed to qualify at his last attempt in 2008 in a Bill Davis Racing Toyota.
When asked how his achievement ranked in his career, Villeneuve replied: “Super high. Obviously, it’s not a win.
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