Expecting lots of excitement at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montréal

It’s that time of year again here in Montréal. The Nascar Nationwide series has arrived once again for the annual Napa Auto Parts 200 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

I’m not a huge Nascar fan, but I always watch the road course races (Road America, Sonoma, Elkhart Lake, Montréal) because I find them to be more exciting than the ones on the traditional oval race tracks. The Montréal race is always an interesting one, given that the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is such a good race track, but this weekend’s race has a couple of added storylines that should make the 2012 edition even more exciting:

• Danica Patrick and Jacques Villeneuve: This is the first time that Villeneuve has raced in Nationwide since the Nationwide race in June when he bumped Danica off track on the last lap of the race. Will she seek revenge for the Road America incident by wrecking JV in this weekend’s race?
• Lots of Canadian drivers looking for the win: Jacques Villeneuve, Alex Tagliani, Patrick Carpentier, Ron Fellows, Louis-Phillippe Dumoulin, Andrew Ranger. JV, Tags, Carpentier and Ranger have all had strong results in past races while Fellows has won this race before.

Personally, I ‘m hoping that the whole Road America thing is in the past and that both Danica and JV will run a solid race. It doesn’t really help anyone if Danica takes JV out and risks damaging her own car. Keep in mind that she’s racing for points in the championship, JV isn’t. She should concentrate on her own race, and hopefully for her, she can bring her car home for a top 5 finish.

As for the Canadian contingent, I’m really hoping one of them will take the checkered flag. From this morning’s practice times, it looks like Villeneuve and Tagliani have the cars to beat.

My bold prediction for the race

1. #22 Jacques Villeneuve – Penske Racing Dodge
2. #12 Sam Hornish Jr. – Penske Racing Dodge
3. #30 Alex Tagliani – Turner Motorsports Dodge