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The Daytona 500 qualifying for 2022 has been special for F1 fans, mainly for Jacques Villeneuve, who became the first driver with ties to the sport in nearly a decade to qualify for the event.
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Villeneuve's valiant effort in the qualifying session on February 16 was the first time the F1 driver had managed the feat since Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya back in 2013.
Back then, Montoya qualified in P13 whilst driving car #42 for the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. This was a year after the Colombian's massive crash with a jet dryer on lap 160 of the 2012 Daytona 500.
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Montoya spent six seasons in F1 from 2001 to 2006 whilst driving for Williams and McLaren. He earned 30 podiums, 13 pole positions and seven wins during that period.
His best ever finish in an F1 season was P3 in 2002 and 2003. He was also famous for setting the fastest lap time in F1 history at Monza in 2004. His record at the Temple of Speed was eventually eclipsed by Kimi Raikkonen in a Ferrari in 2018.
"I can't imagine myself stopping racing" – Jacques Villeneuve jubilant after qualifying for Daytona 500 at age 50
Jacques Villeneuve was ecstatic after securing a spot on the field on Sunday for the Daytona 500. The occasion was even more special for the Canadian, who achieved this at the age of 50.
After the session, the 1997 F1 world champion shared his thoughts with the media. He said:
“To be able to make such a big race at such a high level is amazing and when I’m in the race car I don’t realize that I’m 50, which is good. As long as it carries on like this, I can’t imagine myself stopping racing. It’s satisfying and amazing because there’s quite a few times where I’ve been hearing, ‘OK, come on. You’ve passed it. Just give it up.’ No, the hunger has never stopped... until the day where I guess you start getting your foot off the throttle because you get a little bit scared or you don’t get that adrenaline rush anymore as a positive thing, that’s when you should stop.”
Villeneuve had attempted earlier as well to enter NASCAR's Great American Race, which he considers one of the the three biggest races in motorsport alongside the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Back in 2008, the Canadian was unable to do so after crashing out during his qualifying race.
The Daytona 500 will be live on Fox Sports from 2:30 pm ET on February 20 and will have no crowd restrictions in 2022.
Also Checkout: Daytona 500 Lineup
