NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Watkins Glen
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[/media-credit]Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished third at Watkins Glen, posting his Sprint Cup series-best 11th top-5 result. Johnson jumped three spots to the top of the points standings, and leads Greg Biffle by one.
“Wow! What a finish!” Johnson said. “That’s what NASCAR racing is all about? Too bad it only happens once or twice a year.
“But I’m tickled by any race that ends with me on top in the points standings. Now, is Marcos Ambrose a threat to win the Sprint Cup? No way, and the thought of such is pure ‘Tasmanian drivel.’”
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Earnhardt spun with seven laps to go, losing a likely top-10 finish and crossing the line 28th. He tumbled out of the Sprint Cup points lead, and is now fourth, 17 out of first.
“After two weeks atop the Sprint Cup point standings,” Earnhardt said, “who didn’t expect a tailspin.
“The track was a mess. It was as ‘well-oiled’ as the Junior Nation campground. And
3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski led with one lap to go in the Finger Lakes 355 At The Glen, but was passed by Marcos Ambrose near the finish in a wild final lap. Keselowski was denied his fourth win of the year, but moved up two places to fifth in the points standings, 44 out of first.
“I was so close to getting away with the win,” Keselowski said, “but much like Roger Penske’s other kids, I got ‘caught.’ If Roger’s boys would have been as slippery as the Watkins Glen track, they’d never have been caught.
“As it is, Roger may have to pull another A.J. Allmendinger and disown them.”
4. Greg Biffle: Biffle took sixth at Watkins Glen, as Roush Fenway Racing placed three cars in the top 14. Biffle moved up one spot to second in the point standings, and trails Jimmie Johnson by a single point.
“I did what I needed to do at The Glen,” Biffle said. “Finish in the top 10, and steer clear of Boris Said. He finished 25th, which was nowhere near me. So, the answer to what Boris Said and Boris did is ‘nothing.’”
5. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished a solid eight at Watkins Glen, earning his 14th top 10 of the year. He is now third in the point standings, trailing Greg Biffle by one and points-leader Jimmie Johnson by two.
“I am soooo close,” Kenseth said, “to announcing the details of my deal with Joe Gibbs Racing. Hopefully, my last races with Roush Fenway Racing will see me contending for the Cup championship. I definitely want to have a ‘going away presence.’”
6. Tony Stewart: Stewart was running second when he spun in the final turn with 16 laps remaining. With extensive rear-end damage to the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil Chevy, he had to settle for 19th at The Glen.
“I was going for ‘broke,’” Stewart said. “Unfortunately, I succeeded. It’s not often I can say ‘I lost it’ and it not have anything to do with Kurt Busch.”
7. Kasey Kahne: Kahne remained in the hunt for a Chase position with a respectable 13th-place finish at Watkins Glen. He is 11th in the Sprint Cup point standings, and currently holds the first wildcard spot for the Chase.
“I’ve never been to the Nantucket Yacht Club,” Kahne said, “but I’m confident I’ll fare better ‘in the Chase’ than Roger Penske’s boys.”
8. Martin Truex, Jr.: Truex posted his 12th top-10 finish of the year with a 10th in the Finger Lakes 355 At The Glen. He is now sixth in the point standings, but with no wins on the year, would likely start at the bottom of the Chase For The Cup field.
“You never know,” Truex said. “I could get hot and win the Sprint Cup championship. I would say I need to ‘Get in the Zone,’ but I’m contractually forbidden to do so.”
9. Denny Hamlin: A disastrous weekend at Watkins Glen started with a crash in Friday practice and ended with a 34th-place finish on Sunday. Hamlin’s No. 11 Fed Ex Toyota suffered a fiery end when his engine blew and ignited on lap 57. Hamlin fell two places to tenth in the point standings, 84 out of first.
“Kyle Busch and I were both victimized by our respective old nemeses,” Hamlin said. “For Kyle, it was Brad Keselowski. For me, it was a Toyota engine. Kyle and I were both left ‘fuming.’”
10. Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose nipped Brad Keselowski at the wire to win for the second year in a row at Watkins Glen. Ambrose and Keselowski dueled on a wild final half-lap on a track made treacherous by leaked oil from the car of Bobby Labonte.
“There’s only one way to describe this,” Ambrose said, “and that’s ‘Finger Lake-ing good!’ I gave Keselowski the slip. This more than makes up for Sonoma two years ago when I stalled my engine and let a sure win get away. There was only one way to describe that: ‘Sonoma bitch!’
“I think it’s safe to say that I’m Tasmania’s most famous citizen who’s not a cartoon character.”
Canadian stars shoot for victory in Montreal
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[/media-credit]Skimming through the entry list for this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal one may find a few names that jump off the page. What do Ron Fellows, Jacques Villeneuve, Alex Tagliani, and Patrick Carpentier all have in common this weekend? They are all accomplished road course racers that venture into the NASCAR scene on rare occasion. When the Nationwide Series makes its annual stop in Montreal, the four aforementioned drivers come to make an attempt at winning in their home country.
Carpentier has returned from retirement for the NAPA Auto Parts 200 on August 18th, competing again in Michael Waltrip Racing’s #99 NAPA Toyota Camry entered by RAB Racing. The five time CART winner has seen varying success at his home track. In the inaugural running of the race in 2007, Carpentier grabbed the pole and finished 2nd. The following year, Carpentier earned another runner-up finish at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
The next three races in Canada saw the Quebec native encounter misfortunes. In 2009, Carpentier finished 38th due to engine troubles. In 2010 and 2011, the MWR driver came across the start finish line 32nd, both due to mechanical troubles.
Carpentier enters the weekend not only looking to turn his bad luck around, but to obtain an elusive victory in front of his home fans.
Jacques Villeneuve has competed around the circuit named after his late father ten times in Formula 1, none of which the 41 year-old Canadian was able to achieve victory. Though Villeneuve has been exceptional in qualifying for the Montreal race (three top-five starts in four attempts), he has an average finish in Montreal of 12.5 on the circuit that lays along the St. Lawrence river. Driving the #22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger owned by Roger Penske brings high expectations for Jacques.
“I feel, after winning the pole last year at Montreal, that we can have a lot of success. A NASCAR victory is something I want.” Villeneuve says of his potential with Penske Racing.
With the IZOD IndyCar Series being off this weekend, Alex Tagliani is taking the opportunity to race for a third time at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In only having two NASCAR Nationwide Series starts in Montreal, Tagliani has experienced both good and bad performances. In 2009, the 39 year-old Montreal native finished 26th for MacDonald Motorsports. In last year’s event, Tagliani capitalized on his Penske Racing ride to finish 2nd.
This year “Tag” will be racing Turner Motorsport’s #30 Chevrolet.
“I’m always proud to come back to Montreal and to be able to race on this fantastic road course named after one of my all-time racing heroes, Gilles Villeneuve.” Tagliani says when speaking to nascar.com.
“Montreal has been good to me to date and I’m hoping to better my racing history here. Having a competitive car to challenge for the win is all I can wish for. ”
Back in June, the #30 Turner Motorsports team went to victory lane on the first road course race of the season at Road America. Nelson Piquet Jr. piloted the car to victory that day earning his first ever NASCAR Nationwide Series victory, Tagliani will look to mimic Piquet’s feat this weekend.
After claiming a victory on his home soil in the 2008 rain shortened iteration of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, Ron Fellows has seen a streak of bad luck come his way. The year after his victory Fellows failed to complete the race due to a crash in turns 8 and 9, yielding him a 35th place finish. In 2010, the Ontario Native experienced engine troubles and placed 30th in his home race.
With the highest of highs and lowest of lows making up the 52 year olds past in a Nationwide car at Montreal, Fellows is gunning for a new high in his Nationwide Career. Adding a second victory in his home country would provide the road course specialist with just that.
In the five year history of the NAPA Auto Parts 200, only Ron Fellows has earned the thunderous applause of his home country’s crowd by going to victory lane. Ironically, of the four Canadian stars heading into this weekend’s race, Ron Fellows is the only one born outside of the province of Quebec.
For the diehard Canadian race fans, a keen eye will be on all Canadian’s participating in Montreal this weekend, but only a victory from a Canadian road course star from inside the borders of Quebec will prove to be a moment of true greatness for them.
