INDIANAPOLIS -- Jacques Villeneuve is ready to make an IndyCar comeback. Minkah Fitzpatrick Dolphins Jersey . Schmidt Peterson Motorsports said Wednesday it has hired Villeneuve to race in this years Indianapolis 500, 19 years after the Canadian driver first drank the milk in Victory Lane. "IndyCar is growing again and thats why last year when I started watching races again, every time I watched I felt almost angry I wasnt there," the 1995 race winner said on a satellite hookup from France during a news conference held at the teams Indy headquarters. At age 42, Villeneuve seemed content being a television analyst, musician and RallyCross driver. But when Schmidt and co-owner Rick Peterson, also from Canada, made a serious offer, he couldnt refuse. The 500 is scheduled for May 25. Villeneuve certainly has a compelling resume. As an Indy rookie in 1994, he qualified fourth and finished second to Al Unser Jr., and was named the races rookie of the year. The next season, the reigning CART rookie of the year was even better. He qualified fifth at Indy, forced Scott Goodyear into a costly mistake on the final restart and eventually held off Christian Fittipaldi to become the first and only Canadian winner of the race. Villeneuve completed all 400 laps at Indy in those two starts and won the 1995 CART title, too. But after starting 33 races, winning six poles and five races in two IndyCar seasons, Villeneuve had a chance to become an international star. So he headed to Europe and joined Formula One -- the series that made his late father, Gilles, a household name. Like his dad, who died in a 1982 F1 qualifying crash, Villeneuve excelled on the world stage. In 163 career starts between 1996 and 2006, the younger Villeneuve reached the podium 23 times, won 11 races, 13 poles and claimed the 1997 world championship. At that point, American open-wheel racing wasnt even on the radar. His journey back to North America began in 2007 when Villeneuve made the move to American stock cars. Over the next seven seasons, he dabbled in Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Le Mans series as well as sports cars. Villeneuve regained interest in IndyCars last season as he watched how close and competitive the races had become. To him, it reminded him of the series he left almost two decades earlier. Suddenly, he was interested in making a return -- if he could find the right car and the right team. "To get this opportunity is a gift," Villeneuve said. "A lot of people say when you have kids, you slow down. I want my kids to see me race." Schmidt is the winningest team owner in Indy Lights history and already employs two full-time drivers in the better-known IndyCar series -- Russias Mikhail Aleshin and Frances Simon Pageland. In previous years, Schmidt has always found a way to compete at Indy. Getting Villeneuve might be the biggest coup of all for his low-budget team. "Indy is a special place. We go there not to exist but to win the race," Schmidt said. "To see a guy that finished second and finished first there, I dont think hes going to have any problem going back." Villeneuve becomes the fifth 500 winner on this years entry list. The others are three-time winner Helio Castroneves of Brazil, two-time winner Scott Dixon of New Zealand, 2000 winner Juan Pablo Montoya of Colombia and Brazils Tony Kanaan, the defending champ. Another trip to Victory Lane would give Villeneuve two more milestones. He would break Al Unsers record for the longest gap between first and last victories. Unser went 17 years between his first Indy crown in 1970 and his record-tying fourth win in 1987. Villeneuve also would break Gordon Johncocks record for the longest gap between first and second wins at Indy, 1973 and 1982. Villeneuve isnt motivated by records. He wants to win. "Im a racer," he said, explaining he does not plan to retire anytime soon. "Ive got to find ways to get better and better and better, and Im going there with a team thats very experienced and has been very successful as well." Cameron Wake Womens Jersey . Directly ahead was open field, the end zone and the Seattle Seahawks place in the NFC championship game. Josh Rosen Youth Jersey .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. http://www.dolphinsrookiestore.com/Dolphins-Bob-Griese-Jersey/ . On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees.Paris, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Former champion and last years runner-up Maria Sharapova and Czech slugger Petra Kvitova won their opening matches at the 2014 French Open on Monday. After waiting out a rain delay, the seventh-seeded Russian star Sharapova needed only 61 minutes to post a 6-1, 6-2 win over compatriot Ksenia Pervak on Court Chatrier. Pervak has yet to win a match in four trips to Roland Garros. "Its always nice to get out there on a day like this. Its good to play first match, as you know," Sharapova said. "Hopefully youll be able to finish the match today with the weather conditions being as they are. Its always nice to get through." Sharapova completed a career Grand Slam at the 2012 French Open and reached the final at this clay court major last year, only to lose to Serena Williams. The fifth-seeded former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova handled Kazakhstans Zarina Diyas 7-5, 6-2 on Day 2, while ninth-seeded Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova, of Slovakia, overcame a taxing first set to beat French journeywoman Virginie Razzano 7-5, 6-0. Also on Day 2, 12th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta flattened Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2, 6-2 and 16th-seeded 2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki, of Germany, handled Frances Fiona Ferro 6-1, 7-5. Frances Pauline Parmentier upended 17th-seeded Italian Roberta Vinci 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; hot 18th-seeded Canadian Eugenie Bouchard drilled Israeli Shahar Peer 6-0, 6-2; 19th-seeded former U. Christian Wilkins Dolphins Jersey. S. Open champion and former French Open runner-up Samantha Stosur, of Australia, pasted Puerto Rican Monica Puig 6-1, 6-1; 20th-seeded French favorite Alize Cornet raced past Aussie teenager Ashleigh Barty 6-2, 6-1; 28th-seeded German Andrea Petkovic peppered Japans Misaki Doi 6-3, 6-3; and 32nd-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina outlasted American Christina McHale 7-6 (7-0), 4-6, 6-3. The 20-year-old Bouchard corralled her first career WTA title in Nuremberg, Germany, two days ago. The 20-year-old Puig was fresh off her first career title in Strasbourg last week in France. Several other women reached the second round, including American Taylor Townsend, Germans Julia Goerges and Mona Barthel, and Austrian Tamira Paszek. Townsend got past fellow American Vania King 7-5, 6-1. Several stars will see opening-round action on Tuesday, including second- seeded Australian Open champion and former Roland Garros titlist Li Na; fourth-seeded Simona Halep; 10th-seeded former French Open runner-up Sara Errani; 11th-seeded former world No. 1 and former Roland Garros winner Ana Ivanovic; and 13th-seeded former top-ranked performer Caroline Wozniacki. Li will take on Frances Kristina Mladenovic, while Errani will encounter American Madison Keys. ' ' '