Former Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve’s road to the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) continues to hit speed bumps.

After weeks of searching for a sponsor to come up with the roughly $18-million (U.S.) he needs to secure a ride in the NASCAR Busch Series, the 1997 F1 world champion has apparently set his sights a bit lower.

A source close to the 35-year-old from Iberville, Que., said that the former Williams driver is now looking at other ways of getting into a stock car.

“He’s even talking about doing the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series now and then do some Busch to try to get into it,” the source said.

“You know if you haven’t driven these cars, there aren’t a lot of people who want to touch you. The teams think there’s steep learning curve which takes time and experience and they don’t want to finance it.”

The truck series is considered the bottom of the NASCAR ladder for young up-and-coming talents in stock car racing and not exactly a place where a 10-year F1 veteran would prefer to cut his teeth.

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