t has been four weeks since the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series brought out the Car of Tomorrow (COT). The last time it was seen was on the flat track of New Hampshire International Speedway and before that, it was on track at the road course of Infineon Raceway. Now the drivers get another round of the COT, this time at Sonoma's sister track of Watkins Glen International.
Road racing is an art form. It takes more skill behind the wheel than it does in the engine and aerodynamics departments. The banking is almost nonexistent and nearly every turn is hairpin. That is why experience is so important at a place like The Glen.
Favorites
Juan Montoya proved at Infineon that experience on a road course is universal. Sure the stockers are much heavier and the wheels are closer together, but a true road racer can get to the front in any kind of car. That is why the most experienced drivers are rated much higher than the freshmen.
Montoya may have the hot hand after his Sonoma win, but Tony Stewart still reigns supreme on the road courses, especially Watkins Glen. "Smoke" has three wins and four top-fives in the last five races there. He took to the Glen from his first outing and only twice has he finished outside the top-10 there?a 26th in 2001 and an 11th in 2003. He has been superb in the COT, contending for the win in almost every outing, which only adds to his appeal.
Kurt Busch had an amazing run at Pocono Raceway, leading a track-record 175 laps. That gives him momentum going into a race that he dominated last year. Busch led 34 laps and looked unbeatable until getting caught on pit road when the yellow flag waved. Recent history suggests that his Pennsylvania 500 victory will put him on the path to success. The previous two July Pocono winners have gone on to have good runs at The Glen; in 2005, Ryan Newman followed his victory with an eighth at Watkins Glen, and then Denny Hamlin produced a 10th after winning both races at Pocono.
Dark Horses
Watkins Glen is a track of opportunity for dark horses, especially among one-car teams. For the experienced road racer, this is a great time to show everyone, particularly car owners, that he can compete with NASCAR's best.
The odds are always stacked against the one-car team, but that is equalized on the road courses where only a few drivers on the circuit have mastered the art form. There is no question that Robby Gordon can drive on the winding tracks. He has been excellent at Watkins Glen in his career. He enters the weekend with back-to-back top-fives there and he has a win and two more top-fives since 2000. Gordon also was the best at Infineon, though he was outmatched in the fuel mileage department and had to settle for 16th.
Most NASCAR fans are not going to recognize the No. 10 Dodge driver this week. Scott Riggs, who has never been much good at turning right, hands the keys over to Patrick Carpentier. Like Montoya and Stewart, he comes from the open-wheel ranks. The Canadian-born driver has spent much of his career in the Champ Car World Series, which favors the road courses. He already has some stock car experience under his belt. Last week, he won the pole for the Busch Series event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He went on to lead 14 laps and finish second in a wild last lap showdown with Kevin Harvick.
Avoidance Principal
Matt Kenseth is not the best value when it comes to a road course. Usually, the better flat track drivers, like Kenseth, do well on the winding courses of Watkins Glen and Infineon. The No. 17 Ford driver, however, has never been a contender on either course. While he does have three top-10s at the Glen, he has never been better than eighth there and that was four years ago. In fact, he has not had a top-10 on either road track in three years.
Martin Truex Jr. has been the hot commodity of the summer. He earned his first win at Dover International Speedway, and then became a weekly fixture in the top-five for a time. He has lost his momentum since then. Truex has had four consecutive finishes outside the top-10. Aside from select drivers, road courses are not the places to turn around a negative streak. Truex is still inexperienced on the winding tracks. His lone road course top-20 came in his first outing at Infineon. Since then, he was 39th at Watkins Glen last year and 24th at Sonoma this season.
Road racing is an art form. It takes more skill behind the wheel than it does in the engine and aerodynamics departments. The banking is almost nonexistent and nearly every turn is hairpin. That is why experience is so important at a place like The Glen.
Favorites
Juan Montoya proved at Infineon that experience on a road course is universal. Sure the stockers are much heavier and the wheels are closer together, but a true road racer can get to the front in any kind of car. That is why the most experienced drivers are rated much higher than the freshmen.
Montoya may have the hot hand after his Sonoma win, but Tony Stewart still reigns supreme on the road courses, especially Watkins Glen. "Smoke" has three wins and four top-fives in the last five races there. He took to the Glen from his first outing and only twice has he finished outside the top-10 there?a 26th in 2001 and an 11th in 2003. He has been superb in the COT, contending for the win in almost every outing, which only adds to his appeal.
Kurt Busch had an amazing run at Pocono Raceway, leading a track-record 175 laps. That gives him momentum going into a race that he dominated last year. Busch led 34 laps and looked unbeatable until getting caught on pit road when the yellow flag waved. Recent history suggests that his Pennsylvania 500 victory will put him on the path to success. The previous two July Pocono winners have gone on to have good runs at The Glen; in 2005, Ryan Newman followed his victory with an eighth at Watkins Glen, and then Denny Hamlin produced a 10th after winning both races at Pocono.
Dark Horses
Watkins Glen is a track of opportunity for dark horses, especially among one-car teams. For the experienced road racer, this is a great time to show everyone, particularly car owners, that he can compete with NASCAR's best.
The odds are always stacked against the one-car team, but that is equalized on the road courses where only a few drivers on the circuit have mastered the art form. There is no question that Robby Gordon can drive on the winding tracks. He has been excellent at Watkins Glen in his career. He enters the weekend with back-to-back top-fives there and he has a win and two more top-fives since 2000. Gordon also was the best at Infineon, though he was outmatched in the fuel mileage department and had to settle for 16th.
Most NASCAR fans are not going to recognize the No. 10 Dodge driver this week. Scott Riggs, who has never been much good at turning right, hands the keys over to Patrick Carpentier. Like Montoya and Stewart, he comes from the open-wheel ranks. The Canadian-born driver has spent much of his career in the Champ Car World Series, which favors the road courses. He already has some stock car experience under his belt. Last week, he won the pole for the Busch Series event at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He went on to lead 14 laps and finish second in a wild last lap showdown with Kevin Harvick.
Avoidance Principal
Matt Kenseth is not the best value when it comes to a road course. Usually, the better flat track drivers, like Kenseth, do well on the winding courses of Watkins Glen and Infineon. The No. 17 Ford driver, however, has never been a contender on either course. While he does have three top-10s at the Glen, he has never been better than eighth there and that was four years ago. In fact, he has not had a top-10 on either road track in three years.
Martin Truex Jr. has been the hot commodity of the summer. He earned his first win at Dover International Speedway, and then became a weekly fixture in the top-five for a time. He has lost his momentum since then. Truex has had four consecutive finishes outside the top-10. Aside from select drivers, road courses are not the places to turn around a negative streak. Truex is still inexperienced on the winding tracks. His lone road course top-20 came in his first outing at Infineon. Since then, he was 39th at Watkins Glen last year and 24th at Sonoma this season.
