Jacques Villeneuve took a gamble on gas and it was looking like it might just pay off.
Everything was going his way, he needed caution laps to stretch his fuel load, and he got them. He needed to get past one of the fastest cars all day, and he was able to pass Danica Patrick when her car started driving off late in the race.
Villeneuve’s race was going well, his car was fast, and his fuel looked like it might just make it to the end. But then, on the second attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish, as Villeneuve entered turn six of the road course that is named after his father, Gilles Villeneuve, everything that was working for Villeneuve went wrong.
Going into turn six, Villeneuve had the lead with just over half the track to go, however leaving turn six, it was the No. 31 of Justin Allgaier who had the lead.
“I feel really bad I got into the 22 there going into turn six,” said Allgaier after the race to ESPN reporters about the move that he made to grab the lead.
Going into turn six, Villeneuve had slowed and Allgaier caught up to the No. 22. Villeneuve protected the bottom line going into turn six, but Allgaier put his front bumper to the rear bumper of Villeneuve and moved him out of the way to take the lead.
It was the first time that Allgaier took the lead all day and the only lap that he led was the last half of the final lap of the race. He still had to hold off the fast and damaged car of Sam Hornish Jr., coming off the hairpin in turn 10 and once again in turn 12, but that was all Allgaier had to do to secure his first win of 2012, well that and try and breathe coming to the start/finish line for the final time.
“I can’t even talk,” Allgaier said after the race from victory lane. “That last lap I didn’t breathe at all.”
For Allgaier, it is not only his first win of the season, it is his first career road course win and in some ways a bit of redemption from a road course race that got away from him last year.
In 2011, Justin Allgaier was leading on the last lap of Road America. A caution came out and all Allgaier had to do was make it back to the start/finish line under power. Instead though, he ran out of gas and the win went to Allgaier’s then teammate, Reed Sorenson.
Even though Allgaier got in front of Villeneuve, one of the few drivers that had done so all day, Allgaier still knew he had to drive the last eight turns to perfection to hold on to the lead.
“Once I got in front of him I knew I had to run the best race of my life,” Allgaier said about holding onto the lead with Sam Hornish Jr. chasing him down.
Much of the race was dominated by Villeneuve who led for four time for a total of 43 laps of the day.
Elliott Sadler was able to retain the points lead. He leads by 22 points over second place Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Next week the series will be in Bristol Motor Speedway for the annual night race for the series.
Napa 200 from Circuit Gilles Villeneuve results:
- Justin Allgaier
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Jacques Villeneuve
- Elliott Sadler
- Ron Fellows
- Michael McDowell
- Mike Wallace
- Billy Johnson
- Austin Dillon
- Kyle Busch
- Brendan Gaughan
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Mike Bliss
- Tayler Malsam
- Alex Kennedy
- Erik Darnell
- Tim Andrews
- Derek White
- Eric McClure
- Brad Sweet
- Kyle Kelley
- Alex Tagliani
- Daryl Harr
- Brian Scott
- Jeremy Clements
- Jason Bowles
- Danica Patrick
- Michael Annett
- Patrick Carptier
- Joe Nemechek
- John Young
- Andrew Ranger
- Cole Whitt
- Kenny Habul
- Dexter Stacey
- Timmy Hill
- Eric Curran
- Louis-Phillipe Dumoulin
- Chris Cook
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Blake Koch
- Chase Miller
- Jeff Green
