Villeneuve focused on points status

The Canadian, who competed last year in two Cup events at Talladega and Phoenix, will officially start his season by trying to qualify on speed for the Daytona 500, to grab one of the few spots on the grid available for drivers whose entry is outside the top 35 in owner points.

He has set his target on getting good enough results in the first five events of the year so that he guarantees himself a place on the grid when the season gets to Martinsville for the first time.

From then, he says, he can look ahead at the next step of his Cup apprenticeship.

"The first thing to do is get top 35," Villeneuve said. "Once we get in the top 35 then if we can race with the quick guys we'll be happy.

"But until we're in the top 35, there's no way we can know what we can achieve or not, so the first thing is to get in the top 35. Once we're there we'll try to get to the front."

The 1997 Formula One World Champion is confident of making the field for the first few events, just as he did last year where he qualified for the two races he entered. He says though that not having a spot guaranteed on the grid means more preparation and more testing before the season starts.

"It means we have to do a lot of testing before then to make sure that we're quick," Villeneuve added. "But the two races I did last year we got into the show with very little preparation so I think we'll be alright."

"(At) the Daytona test, the way the car was going it looks like we'll be qualified, which is good. Hopefully we won't need the Shootout to qualify. Hopefully we'll be quick enough that we're in anyway."

Villeneuve, who was among the fastest drivers in testing for the Daytona 500, admits that he is facing a steep learning curve as he embarks on what he expects to be his first full season of Sprint Cup Racing, competing for Bill Davis Racing in the No. 27 Toyota Camry.

"It's going to be a great learning experience," he said. "It's still racing, it's still driving a car so it's not that much difference once you've got a steering wheel and pedals and you just work around.

"It's just more racing with the other guys, how to position yourself on the track and all that. The few races that we did last year were very informative."