TALLADEGA, Ala. - Jacques Villeneuve is a Formula One world champion with an Indianapolis 500 title on his resume. But his lofty credentials did little to earn him acceptance in the NASCAR garage.

The criticism continued to grow Friday over Villeneuve’s decision to attempt his Nextel Cup debut at Talladega Superspeedway, a place that produces white-knuckled racing at nearly 200 mph. Add in the pressure of the Chase for the championship and the restrictor-plate debut of the Car of Tomorrow, and few believed Talladega was the proper place for Villeneuve to make his first start.

“It has nothing to do with Jacques, I am a huge fan of his,” said Jeff Gordon, a five-time Talladega winner. “I think he’s a tremendous talent and he belongs in this series and I’m excited he’s here.

“But I don’t care if you are Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Dario Franchitti or the greatest driver on the planet — you should not be running your first race this weekend.”

Gordon’s message has been echoed since last week, when Villeneuve announced he’d try to qualify for Sunday’s race in a Toyota for Bill Davis Racing. But it intensified when the series regulars arrived at Talladega and finished two tense practice sessions in the CoT.

The rear wing on the car had many drivers complaining about a lack of visibility that could make it difficult to work the draft, and very few drivers were able to see any hand signals.

“The very best in the business are sitting here wondering ‘How am I going to get through this race?’ so how can we think this is a good place for anyone to make their first race?” asked Jeff Burton. “He’s certainly got the credentials, and he should be approved for anything he wants to do. And if this was any other race track, I would have no issue whatsoever. But here? Under these conditions?

“This could be the biggest race of the year, and it’s just not the right place for him to debut.”

Villeneuve must make the car on speed in today’s qualifying session, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be in the 43-car field on Sunday. But the Canadian plans to run a full Nextel Cup schedule next season, and viewed racing Talladega as a major step in getting NASCAR clearance to compete in the season-opening Daytona 500.

He’s not alone, either: Sam Hornish Jr., the 2006 Indianapolis 500 champion, will also try to make the field.

But others are taking a more conservative approach. Franchitti, who wrapped up the IndyCar Series title last month, and former Formula One driver Scott Speed both made their stock-car debuts in Friday’s low-level ARCA event. That’s the same path Juan Pablo Montoya took last season, when he made his debut in the ARCA event here.

Montoya said Villeneuve has started the transition by participating in a two-day Cup test here last month, and running the Truck Series event at Las Vegas. But until he’s out running with the full field, Montoya said Villeneuve will be subject to criticism.

“People have got to get your trust, to race with you, around you and you don’t want to go out and damage someone’s championship hopes,” Montoya said. “If anybody else does it, you say ‘Oh, it’s Talladega.’ But if he does it, he’ll be blamed as, ‘It was Jacques.’”

Villeneuve was aware of the criticism, but bristled when it was suggested that the Cup regulars don’t think he’s qualified to race Talladega.

“I don’t think they are saying I am not qualified,” he said. “I think they are saying it might be a little early and they are concerned for their Chase. In their shoes, I would say the same thing. You don’t want any unknowns out there.”

“But I’ve always tried to race intelligently. I am not here trying to be a hero. I don’t have any points, I am not in it for any championship. All I want to do is get the mileage and get ready for Daytona.”

He participated in both practice sessions Friday, and was 24th on the speed chart following the second session. But because he has to qualify on speed, he was focused on single-car runs and didn’t get in the draft.

Because qualifying is today, NASCAR will impound the cars after the session and there will be no further track time for Villeneuve to adapt to the draft.

But he said he picked up plenty during the two-day test, and believed many people thought it was BDR teammate Dave Blaney, not Villeneuve, who was behind the wheel.

“When they say these things, they are not taking into account that I have a lot of racing experience behind me,” he said. “I’ve won my championship. I’ve already had a successful career. I don’t think this one race is make-or-break my whole career. I don’t have to do anything stupid or crazy out there, and that should make them feel a little more comfortable.”

Villeneuve, accustomed to the cutthroat competition in Formula One, was not taking the criticism personally. If he makes the race, he said he’ll do his best to stay out of the way and not do anything foolish.

“In Europe, (the criticism) would have been 10 times worse,” he said. “They didn’t say anything bad. They are fighting for the Cup ... they don’t want anything they don’t know getting in the way. They are not saying I can or cannot do the job.”