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1. Which NASCAR Road Course Ringer Has the Best Chance to Win at Watkins Glen: Marcos Ambrose or A.J. Allmendinger?
When we head to Watkins Glen, most of the drivers who contend from week to week remain contenders at the track, but there are always a few drivers who become contenders for this one week. Two major ones in today's race are Marcos Ambrose and A.J. Allmendinger. Ambrose has been in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for a good many years and he has taken two wins at the track. Allmendinger has been a pretty good Cup driver on all styles of tracks, but he has excelled at the road course tracks including two wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at road courses last year. All those statistics are good and mean a little heading into the race, but here is the major question concerning these two drivers. Which one of them has the best chance to take the victory today and make the Chase? I, honestly, believe Marcos Ambrose has the best chance in this afternoon's race. The main reason is just how good Ambrose has been at Watkins Glen in his career. In his six starts there, five of them have resulted in a top three finish with the exception of his thirty first place finish last year. Those are fantastic numbers and it seems like Ambrose will build on those today with his second place starting spot. A final reason is what is on the line for Ambrose today. If he wins this race, he will be another driver added to the list as a contender in the the new Chase this season. That would mean a lot for Ambrose, but it would also mean a lot for Richard Petty Motorsports to have both of their drivers in the Chase. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Ambrose standing tall in victory lane again after a fierce ninety lap race to complete the weekend sweep and jump into the Chase.
2. Carl Edwards: Can He Complete the Road Course Sweep?
Some of you guys may be surprised to hear that the best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular at road courses in the past few races has been Carl Edwards. Edwards was very consistent at the road course races last season and he went to Sonoma this season and took the win over Jeff Gordon, who is probably the best ever at road courses. Edwards, who already has two wins this year, looks like a contender for a title, but he needs to gain some more consistency heading into the Chase. With all that in mind, I have just one question for Edwards. Will he be able to complete the road course sweep for this year? I think Edwards has a legitimate shot at today's win. Edwards didn't qualify well for the event with a sixteenth place starting spot, but starting spots really don't matter at the road course tracks. It is all about strategy and being there when the end of the race nears. Edwards was there late at Sonoma and he seemingly has the chance today to take his third win of the season. But we can't ever assume anything at Watkins Glen when the race nears the end. Edwards is going to have a fast car, but he has to keep his nose clean the entire race and be there at the end. I feel like he will be there and he could very well take the sweep at the end of the event to take his third win of the season.
3. Tony Stewart: Will He Finally Win a Race This Year?
I decided on this topic yesterday afternoon around three o'clock, but things have changed significantly since then. What occurred last night at the Canandaigua Speedway in New York will forever change the lives of Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr.'s family. Last night at around ten thirty, Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr. made contact in a sprint car race at the track. The contact sent Ward spinning up the track and caused him to slam the wall hard. He came to a stop on track with damage, but he was unhurt. The caution waved and Ward was livid about the contact. He jumped out of his car as the leaders began to circle the track. He began pointing his finger at Stewart as they came around at caution pace. The driver in front of Stewart barely avoided Ward as he walked up to Stewart's moving car. Stewart didn't see Ward and he struck him at around fifty miles per hour. The contact sent Ward flying across the turn and onto the ground after being drug for a good many feet. The medical personnel came quickly to the scene. Ward was taken to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. It was a tragedy and the twenty year old Ward was gone from the world in just a flash of a second. Since then, a lot of stories have been written and a lot of news networks have covered the situation, but I think they have failed to mention the point of the tragedy: a twenty year old is dead and his family's life is forever changed. It isn't good to look at him as a victim, but as a race car driver who had his life accidentally taken away way too early. The emotional toil of the incident forced Tony Stewart out of the car for the Watkins Glen race with Regan Smith taking his place in the event. This is going to be a rough time for Stewart these next few weeks and the last thing on his mind should be about winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. He needs to be focused on recovering from this event and moving along with the family of Ward. Today's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event will go on, but everyone will be thinking about Kevin Ward Jr. and his family and Tony Stewart as they move through this difficult time. Rest In Peace Kevin Ward Jr. and may his family be able to recover from this tragedy.
4. Will This Race Be the Biggest Wild Card Race of the Year?
We always discuss Daytona and Talladega as being wild card races throughout the year, but we have to look at Watkins Glen as a wild card race now. Just think about the 2012 running of this race. Kyle Busch was leading on the final lap of the event, but he did not even come close to winning as he spun heading through the second turn. Brad Keselowski moved into the lead, but he was passed by Marcos Ambrose several times during the final lap. Ambrose walked away with the victory after one of the craziest last laps in Watkins Glen history. It was definitely a wild card event, but today's race has more on the line with the winner automatically getting a Chase bid if they didn't have a win previously. With all that in mind, I have one question for this event. Will it be the biggest wild card event of the year? Without a single doubt, it is definitely going to be the biggest wild card we see all year. The main reason is the amount of drivers who have a chance to win today, but they normally wouldn't be able to win a race in the series. Think about Marcos Ambrose, A.J. Allmendinger, and others like these drivers who can win today and make their way into the Chase. They will all be fighting for the win and the event could become wild with all the strategy calls and all the battles throughout the pack. We could be talking about the best race of the year when it is all said and done and it is sure to be a good fight.
5. My Pick to Win
There has been one key word throughout this edition of my thoughts: winning. Throw all numbers and statistics out the window for these final five races because it is all about winning a race. Yes, some drivers are going to get in on points, but they are still concerned about winning before the Chase starts. I feel like a few drivers will win and take their own Chase spot, but some will be left out of the battle because they didn't get a much needed win. It will be interesting to follow all day long to see if somebody can take their first win and jump into the Chase for the championship. I have a good many picks for today's races at Watkins Glen. Picks for today's race include Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Gordon, A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, and Brad Keselowski. Some underdog drivers to look at today are Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman to take the win. Well, we have been through a lot already before this race, but it is now time to race and see who will win a road course race. It will definitely be a battle all day long and it will be a fun race to watch. I am not writing about it today, but I will be watching to see what happens at the Glen. Well, that is all for me and until we meet again.
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