Braking the key to winning in Montreal, says Jacques Villeneuve

It’s a simple concept in racing – the less time you spend slowing down, the faster you go.

Jacques Villeneuve said the trick to having success at Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is to hit the brakes as late as possible entering the corners.

“Montreal, it’s the brakes, how heavy you have to hit the brake pedal, lap after lap,” the driver of the No. 32 Dollar General Toyota told reporters on a conference call Tuesday afternoon. “And that’s where it gets tough. If you’re going to brake hard the whole race, then you almost need two feet. So that makes it very tough, if you’re doing it for three hours.”

In order to get his first NASCAR podium finish, Villeneuve and his Braun Racing team have put together a stronger brake package for Sunday’s event which the driver believes are up to the demands of the 14-turn course.

“Brake-wise, the later you brake, the more heat gets in there and then everything starts bending, basically, so you end up with a brake pedal that gets long,” he explained.

Villeneuve’s car didn’t withstand the demands placed on them earlier this month at the Zippo 200 at the Glen when he placed eighth.

“I was hitting the bottom of the brakes and I just couldn’t brake any harder,” he said. “There was nothing else to press and they get hot to the point where it just slides and it doesn’t brake anymore.”

Villeneuve will be making his third start in a NASCAR at the track that bears his father’s name. He made his debut at the rain-soaked 2008 event and crashed late finishing in 16th place. Last year he was fourth, his best ever result in a stock car.

The product of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., has more experience at the Montreal track than most of his competitors. He competed there 10 times during his Formula One career; his best result was second in his rookie year in 1996.

Sunday’s race will be Villeneuve’s third Nationwide Series start this season. He was running in second late in the Bucyrus 200 at Road America in June before a mechanical issue with two laps to go dropped him all the way to 25th.

This weekend he believes the car is ready to give him a chance to compete all the way to the finish.

“We are pulling out all the stops for Montreal so we can compete,” he said. “The first year when it was the heavy rain, we led the lap and then I crashed under a caution. That was a little bit annoying. And we were quite competitive last year. So I think we are coming this year to try and win it.”