The four-time champion complained beforehand that no driver – be it "Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti or the greatest driver on the planet" – should have been permitted to race.

However, JV belied the pessimism by qualifying in sixth place and then graciously volunteering to start the race from the back of the grid. He then ran a clean race as he gained 500 miles of valuable Nextel Cup experience.

"The fact that he didn't run into anything and that he had a clean race and finished on the lead lap says a lot," Gordon acknowledged. "I'm glad he was here and he got to run here. I hope he got to mix it up there at the end to see what it's really like and got this experience."

Jacques, too, was delighted that his race passed off without incident.

"The finger was being pointed at me before the race, and that was understandable,” he commented. Deep down, I'm sure they knew I wouldn't do anything stupid. The goal today was to stay out of trouble and not make enemies, so next time I come back, everything will be a little easier.

"Overall, it was a great experience.”

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