Aces Don’t Necessarily Mean Winning Road-Course Hand

Although Marcos Ambrose, a veteran of road-course racing before his full-time entry into NASCAR’s national series in 2006, has won at Watkins Glen the last three seasons, “ringers” haven’t been dominant in NASCAR Nationwide road-course events recently.

Since 2005, when the series returned to racing at least twice per season on road courses, only “aces” Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya (Mexico City 2007) and Ron Fellows (Montreal, 2008) have victories. Otherwise, career stock-car drivers have been adept at left and right turns.

Two-time series champion Martin Truex Jr. won the inaugural race at Mexico City in 2005, followed by Denny Hamlin (2006). Kevin Harvick won the inaugural race in Montreal (2007) and Carl Edwards won there last year. Ryan Newman (2005) Kurt Busch (2006) and Harvick (2007) won at The Glen before Ambrose’s wins over the last three years.

Brad Keselowski is one of the best road-course racers among series regulars. After finishing last – 43rd – in his first series road-course race at Mexico City in 2007, Keselowski’s average finish in the 12 road races since is 6.9, including consecutive career-best fourth-place efforts at Road America and Watkins Glen earlier this summer. He was fifth last year in Montreal.

Bonjour, Montreal

It’s on to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the final road-course race of the season and the second-to-last stand-alone event of the year for the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
Sunday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 is one of the most anticipated races of the series season for obvious reasons: Exciting racing on the historic 14-turn, 2.710-mile track on the unique, man-made Ile Notre-Dame, the tremendous fan turnout, the European feel of the Montreal and what the series has become famous for – racing in the rain.

Rain has been the headliner during the last two races there. The 2008 race was the first points race in NASCAR national series history in the rain. Last year, teams learned the nuances of preparing for and competing in the rain, then getting back to dry-condition racing during the same event.

The racing has been some of the best – and most bizarre – in each of the last three seasons. Kevin Harvick won the inaugural event in 2007, one in which Robby Gordon – who’s back this year for the first time since that event – thought he had won after he and Marcos Ambrose took turns spinning each other on the final lap. In 2008, Canadian Ron Fellows won the first “rain race.” Last year, Carl Edwards spoiled a dominating run by Ambrose, passing him on the final turn of the last lap to win. Ambrose has vowed to “Run this thing until I win it.” He’s led 124 of 199 total laps over the three races at Montreal but has yet to win.

This also is the road-course rubber match between Edwards and Ambrose this year. Both posted perfect 150.0 Driver Ratings in the previous two road courses this year – Edwards in his win at Road America and Ambrose with his victory at Watkins Glen.

Kyle Busch Basking In Spotlight, after Historical Weekend

His tripleheader sweep is barely in the rear-view mirror, but it’s now time for Kyle Busch to look ahead. Winning all three national series races this past week at Bristol only underscored what we already knew – Busch is a legitimate contender for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

When racing resumes next weekend at Atlanta, Busch will come in third in the series standings. Obviously a cinch to make the Chase, Busch also has 30 bonus points locked away to start the Chase.

Busch On A Roll; Next Up The Windy City
Kyle Busch’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win last week at Bristol kicked off his weekend sweep – becoming the only driver in history to score a victory in all three national series in the same weekend. While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series takes its last open weekend of the season Busch will attempt to win his fourth national series race in a row at Chicagoland Speedway.

Busch won last year’s inaugural EnjoyIllinois.com 225 and led the most laps. Four drivers (Todd Bodine, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter and Aric Almirola) currently in the top-10 in the series standings finished in the top-10 last year at Chicago.

SHOW #124 – Tony Stewart and Brad Daugherty guest on this Paul-less episode. We recap the Kyle Busch weekend sweep at Bristol, preview Montreal and Chicagoland and more. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop (normally)

LISTEN HERE (About 45 mins)

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CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog

See the closing laps from Bristol Motor Speedway, where Kyle Busch becomes the only driver in Nascar history to sweep a weekend. Winning the Truck, Nationwide Series, and Cup Series races. He also moves up 5 spots in the point standings.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/nascar/.element/swf/2.2/sect/video/nascar_embed.swf?context=nascar_viral&videoId=cup/2010/08/21/cup_bri2_high_final.nascar