Mash The Gas: NASCAR Turns Left And Right

Action during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway last season. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

by Dan Margetta and John Wiedemann

It’s time to turn left and right for both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the NASCAR Nationwide Series as each competes on a road course for the first time this season.

The Sprint Cup drivers head to the Sonoma Raceway in California for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 while the Nationwide circuit competes at the beautiful Road America in Wisconsin for the Gardner-Denver 200 presented by Johnsonville.

Heavy stock cars on a twisting road course can be very entertaining and many drivers will be out of their element this weekend which should make for some exciting racing. Certain drivers however, have a knack for the left and right turns and here are some to watch this weekend.

Sprint Cup Series:

Marcos Ambrose

Dan Margetta:  Marcos Ambrose is hands down the best road racer on the Sprint Cup circuit and should be the driver to beat heading into this weekend’s event. He’s listed at 5-1 odds in Las Vegas and to no one’s surprise, is the favorite. He has two wins at Watkins Glen, the other road course the series competes at, but has yet to find victory lane at Sonoma. He’s been very close in the past as often times, bad luck seems to derail his efforts here. This is one of Marcos Ambrose’s best shots to qualify for the Chase and no doubt, this race has been circled on his calendar for weeks. If he can get the things he can’t control to fall his way, Marcos Ambrose should be in victory lane on Sunday.

Tony Stewart

John Wiedemann:  Sonoma Raceway is the perfect place for Tony Stewart to start a hot summer run.  Stewart is currently seven points out of the last spot in the Chase with eleven races left to determine the Chase field.  Sonoma is one of the better races that Stewart can capture a win at this season, it is a track where he has two victories as well as five top ten finishes in the last seven Sonoma races.  Will Smoke catch fire at Sonoma?

Jeff Gordon

DM:  With five Sonoma wins to his credit and nine road course victories all together, Jeff Gordon brings the best stats on paper into Sonoma. He opens at 6-1 odds in Vegas but hasn’t won here since 2006. Gordon will debut a new look to the #24 car as new sponsor Panasonic brings a blue and white scheme. Gordon has had a strong start to the season and his road racing skills should pay off with a good run this weekend. In recent years, Jeff Gordon has been more aggressive on the road courses and a win here would serve notice that he means business this season and shouldn’t be overshadowed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammates.

Clint Bowyer

DM:  Clint Bowyer has developed into quite a successful road racer despite his “non-finesse” driving style. Bowyer won at Sonoma in 2012 and he enters this weekend at 18-1 odds in Vegas. Don’t be fooled into counting Clint Bowyer out just because the race track turns right every once in a while as he should be near the front Sunday and could pull off another somewhat surprise victory.

Kurt Busch

DM:  Kurt Busch is another driver many wouldn’t think could have success on the road courses, mostly due to his take no prisoners driving style. Last year, Busch proved that attitude could actually work at Sonoma as he charged back from a lap down after receiving two pit road speeding penalties to finish a very impressive fourth. Las Vegas didn’t forget last year’s driving display and he is listed at 7-1 odds this week as he comes to Sonoma this year with a stronger team in Stewart-Haas Racing. Whether he can pull off the win or not, one thing is certain, Kurt Busch will be spectacular on Sunday.

AJ Allmendinger

JW:  On this racing weekend last season, AJ Allmendinger was racing his way into victory lane in Elkhart Lake, WI at the Nationwide Series race at Road America.  Allmendinger also won the Nationwide Series race at Mid-Ohio last season as well.  Now back in the Sprint Cup Series, Allmendinger will try to repeat the winning weekend, this time at Sonoma.  Capturing the win this weekend would be a tall order for the #47 team but they should expect a solid run from AJ.  Allmendinger has had top 15 finishes in his last four races at Sonoma.

Matt Kenseth

DM:  My long shot pick this weekend is Matt Kenseth. Yes, Matt Kenseth is definitely a long shot this weekend coming in at 75-1 odds. However, Kenseth is smart enough to stay out of trouble and the team is strong enough to give their driver a shot. Kenseth’s road race skills have improved with experience and Sonoma could come down to a slug fest if there are late cautions. In that case, the driver with the coolest head on his/her shoulders usually comes through the dust to take the victory. If Kenseth is within striking distance of the lead late, he could sneak up there and grab his first victory of the season.

Justin Allgaier

JW:  In the same vein as Clint Bowyer, Justin Allgaier is somewhat of a surprisingly good road racer.  No, I am not predicting a win.  But don’t be surprised if Allgaier races into contention.  Allgaier came close to winning a couple races at Road America in the Nationwide series, finishing second last season and having victory slip away when he ran out of fuel and couldn’t get to the finish when the race ran seven extra laps in 2011.  Allgaier will be running the K&N Pro Series West race on Saturday to get a little more track time on the Sonoma course.  A nice finish this weekend would really pump up this team and they need it.

 

Nationwide Series:

Alex Tagliani

DM:  “Tags” gets behind the wheel of a stock car this weekend at Road America as he has been tabbed to pilot the potent #22 Penske entry. This is the same team that won last year with A.J. Allmendinger and they should be just as strong on Saturday with Tagliani behind the wheel. Tagliani has a Road America victory to his credit, as he won a Champ Car race here in 2004. Alex Tagliani in a stock car on a high speed road course should be fun to watch on Saturday and he knows this is a great opportunity to add a NASCAR victory to his resume.

Sam Hornish Jr.

JW: My pick for the win will be the #54 Monster Toyota driven by Sam Hornish Jr.  Hornish has top five finishes in both of his Nationwide Series starts at Road America.  Driving Kyle Busch’s Toyota this weekend will be the ticket for him to find victory lane.  Hornish has done great in three other races this season for Busch with a win, second and fifth place runs in the three races.  Add Hornish’s average finish of 8.6 in Nationwide Series road course races and I think there will be a shower of Monster Energy flying in victory lane at Road America.

Chase Elliott

DM:  Chase Elliott already has a NASCAR road course victory to his credit, as he won the NASCAR Camping World Truck race last year on the road course at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. He finished fourth in the ARCA race last year at Road America as well after battling for the lead on the final lap. He’s working with new crew chief Ernie Cope this weekend as his regular crew chief Greg Ives stays home for the birth of his third child. Elliott has surprised many people this year and a win on the road course at Road America would just add to his already impressive list of accomplishments in 2014.

Ty Dillon

JW: Ty Dillon will be spending a lot of time on track at Road America this weekend.  Along with the Nationwide Series race, Dillon is also competing in the Trans-Am Series event racing a Camaro in the TA2 division.  Dillon is currently in fourth place in the standings, 35 points behind leader Regan Smith.  With all the road race “ringers” entering the race, a top five run could be a big change in the points for Dillon.  Plus, brother Austin finished 10th last year so Ty really needs to out-perform that result.

Andy Lally

DM:  Noted road racer Andy Lally also returns to the stock cars this weekend at Road America, driving the #55 entry. Lally was the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year so he has had some success in the heavy stock cars. There is no questioning his road racing skills and he should definitely be one to watch on Saturday.

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