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Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve said he's feeling more comfortable in a truck as he prepares to run the final seven races of the NASCAR Truck Series before moving to the Nextel Cup circuit next year.

Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 champ and 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner, spent Monday and Tuesday testing a Bill Davis Racing truck at Chicagoland Speedway. The Canadian is trying to become the second current driver with a Formula One background to race in Cup. Juan Pablo Montoya is a Cup rookie this season.

There might be more. Scott Speed, who was the only American in Formula One before losing his ride this season, also could join NASCAR.

Why the move to NASCAR since this country has two open-wheel series?

"NASCAR is becoming stronger and stronger every year," Villeneuve said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. "It's getting everybody's attention, even internationally. After Formula One, when you want to keep racing, you want to be at the top level, and in North America, the top level is NASCAR."

Villeneuve, 36, competed in Formula One from 1996 to 2006. He won 11 races but none since 1997.

LOOKING AHEAD: NASCAR has not announced next year's Cup schedule -- no major changes are expected -- but some tracks have announced their dates. Here are dates that have been announced:

The Daytona 500 will open the season Feb. 17. California Speedway will host the series Feb. 24, and the Las Vegas race will be the following week, March 2. Previously, there had been a week off between California and Las Vegas. Expect that to be moved to later in the season, most likely April.

Martinsville's spring race will be March 30. The Darlington, S.C., race is May 10.

IN A PICKLE: Sports Business Journal has reported that NASCAR's negotiations with Subway to sponsor the Busch Series next season have "hit the skids." The story also said that while NASCAR continues talks with Subway, series officials are talking to KFC, Dunkin' Donuts and Allstate, all companies that turned down sponsorship offers earlier.

NASCAR asked for $30 million a year to sponsor the Busch Series, but the story said series officials have cut that price nearly in half.

BRIGHT LIGHT: Sunday's late race start means drivers will stare into the setting sun as they enter turn 3 at California Speedway during part of the race. The race is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m. -- 5:15 in California.

"I know it's done for TV and to try to accommodate everyone, but when you're going down the backstretch at close to 200 mph and you can't see anything, that's not very fun," Dale Jarrett said. "There's not a driver out there that likes to run at that particular time."

PIT STOPS: Kyle Petty will race this weekend after missing the past two races because of a broken right hand. He injured himself at Watkins Glen after pounding a cabinet in the team's hauler. ...

Kurt Busch's team will bring the Pocono- and Michigan-winning cars to California this weekend, when Busch will attempt to maintain his spot in the top 12 in points. The top 12 drivers will make the Chase for the Championship, and Busch holds the 12th spot with two races left before the cutoff.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dlong@news-record.com