RUBBIN’S RACING IN NASCAR

Articles

By Clint Spencer

It must have felt like Groundhog Day (Déjà vu) for Juan Pablo Montoya this past Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  For the second year in a row Montoya found himself dominating the Brickyard 400 only to lose it in the final laps.  You may recall that last year Montoya was on his way to claiming his first oval win in the Sprint Cup Series at the Brickyard.  However, on a routine pit stop Montoya was caught speeding down pit road landing him a black flag and ultimately defeat.  This season Montoya was out to redeem himself to his team for the mistake that was made last year.  Montoya started Sunday’s race from the pole and controlled the 400 mile event from the drop of the green flag.  It was a mirror image of last year’s race.  However, this time around Montoya was not going to make the same drastic mistake as last season, as he would lose the race while on pit road.  The #42 team took four tires while teammate Jamie McMurray only took two.  As they raced off pit road it was Jamie McMurray who emerged as the new leader while Montoya returned to the track in seventh.  I can only imagine the frustration and agony that was running through the mind of Montoya as he lost the lead for the second consecutive season. Montoya fought hard on the last remaining laps to catch his teammate but that fight would land him in the wall with 15 to go.  Montoya would damage the #88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. during the wreck.  After the incident the #42 went to the garage and never returned to the track.  Montoya did not make any comments after the race.

As hard as it was for Chip Ganassi to see his driver lose for the second year in a row, the lost was bittersweet.  Ganassi had another driver on the track by the name of Jamie McMurray.  McMurray and Harvick battled each other hard on the remaining laps but it was this year’s Daytona 500 champ who led the final 11 laps and took home the checkered flag.  McMurray’s win on Sunday was his second this season and 5th of his career.  He joined Jimmie Johnson and Dale Jarrett as the third driver to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year.  His car owner and friend Chip Ganassi became the first car owner to win racing’s version of the Triple Crown (Daytona 500, Indy 500, and Brickyard 400).  This is pretty incredible when you consider how many people wrote the EGR organization off.

McMurray’s win may have been just what the #1 team needed to improve their chances of making The Chase.  They went into Sunday’s race 18th in points and moved up two spots to 16th after the win.  I hope to see McMurray make the final 12 because it would be a shame to see his 20 bonus points go to waste.  Kevin Harvick, former Brickyard winner, finished in second and retains the points lead by 184 points.  Greg Biffle, who had a good showing by leading some laps, finished in third for his third straight top ten finish at Indianapolis.  Clint Bowyer finished in fourth followed by Tony Stewart in fifth.

In other NASCAR news, it is speculated that Marcos Ambrose will replace Kasey Kahne in the #9 at Richard Petty Motorsports.  No official deal has been made or announced but it appears Ambrose will be leaving JTG Daugherty Racing.  With Ambrose out of the #47, who will fill the empty seat?  It appears that veteran, Bobby Labonte may be close to a deal with JTG.  I have nothing against Labonte, but why him?  He hasn’t produced consistent results in years. I guess they know he has a fan base which could bring a sponsor.  Typical NASCAR.

Prediction for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway:  It’s back to Pocono we go.  I am sticking with the stats.  Look for the #11 of Denny Hamlin in victory lane.

Be The Champ of NASCAR Pick'em!