Montoya Strikes Bulls Eye at the Glen

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett/ Getty Images for NASCAR

Taking the grid for the 25th race at the Glen in the NASCAR modern era (28th since the 1957 debut of the stock car series at the New York state road course), the NASCAR Sprint Cup series readies for their final road race of 2010. Tolerating just two events per year, the special driver skills for mastering the 9-turn, 2.45 mile track provides fans with a specific enjoyment seeing their favourite drivers negotiating right turns along with the left turns.

Carl Edwards posted fastest time in qualifying but would find his stint at the from extremely short. Within the first lap, the #99 Ford was immediately displaced from the lead by the #1 Chevy of Jamie McMurray where he would lead the initial 5 laps at Watkins Glen. On the fifth lap, the Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing #1 Chevrolet was hounded his Target-sponsored teammate Juan Pablo Montoya. Conceding to the ultra-fast Colombian native, McMurray gave the #42 car pretty of room to complete the lead change. Montoya would lead through the next 20 laps around Watkins Glen

The first caution came out after a round of green on lap 29 for a stalled #07 Toyota driven by PJ Jones who would retire as result of a fuel pump failure. Unlike the NASCAR Nationwide series race which involved a major 10-car crash, the Sprint Cup event was a more subdued affair when it came to on-track carnage. However, there would be some major incidents of note transpiring deeper into the Heluva Good! Sour Cream at The Glen.

Being the 5th race left before the cut off to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the finishes at Watkins Glen as well as the remaining rounds prior to New Hampshire are going to be very important to teams contending for the top-12 spots. On the outside of the final Chase spot, Mark Martin and Ryan Newman both made a habit to lead at least one lap for 5 valuable driver points. Both drivers also required some struggles for drivers embedded within the Chase-eligible top-12. The Heluva Good! Sour Cream at The Glen produced the circumstances Martin and Newman were looking for to aid their Chase hopes. The most significant event occurred on lap 62 when the #33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Clint Bowyer encountered a driveline problem. Leaving debris on the track which drew a lap 63 caution, behind the wall repairs required of Bowyer's car took 3 laps. Clint Bowyer would gain 2 of those laps back through free passes on subsequent cautions but would ultimately finish 34th on the day. Falling to 13th in Sprint Cup series points, Mark Martin is now in the 12th place spot heading into Michigan next week.

Compacting the field, drivers eagerly fought for positions on the track through the final 1/3 of the Watkins Glen event. A result of the heightened aggression, drivers were less willing to show courtesy contributing to the final two cautions of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream at The Glen. Shortly after the debris caution, the yellow flag fell for a violent impact of the #83 Red Bull Toyota through turn 2. Driven by Boris Said during the weekend, the #83 car was accused of crowding the #14 Chevrolet of Tony Stewart through turn 1 running the Chevy wide. In an incident which had similarities to Leffler's triggering of the big wreck in the Nationwide race, Stewart forced himself back into the race surface bumping into Said. As the #83 Toyota was sent into the Armco, all other cars were able to miss the stopped Red Bull machine. Later in the garage, Boris Said testified to he did not see Stewart.

Following the lap 66 crash, another more high-profile accident collected 2 of the top contenders for the Sprint Cup. Through turn 7, Jimmie Johnson's #48 Chevrolet was sent around on lap 72 into the outside wall. While Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports car suffered minor damage from the wall impact, the #11 Toyota of Denny Hamlin would quickly get caught within the tire smoke of the #48 car. Colliding with the spun vehicle of Johnson, Hamlin made head-on contact with his #11 FedEx Toyota. Hamlin's day was at Watkins Glen was over but Johnson was able to soldier on to finish 28th. Starting the season as the driver and team to beat winning 3 of the first 5 races, Johnson has only 1 top-20 finish in the past 5 Sprint Cup race events.

Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/ Getty Images

In a similar dominating performance to Ambrose's walk away from the field in the Zippo 200 NASCAR Nationwide series race the previous day, Juan Pablo Montoya led for 74 of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream at The Glen's 90 laps. Out front through the final 28 laps, Montoya's Chevrolet pushed to over a 4 second interval over second place. It was a triumphant win for Montoya and crew chief Brian Pattie as the pairing his performed a multitude of strong runs with victory still eluding the #42 Chevrolet. Juan Pablo Montoya's 2nd win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series since his first win at Infineon Raceway in 2007. This was Montoya's first win in a Chevrolet.

Chasing the Colombian-born racer through much of the race distance was Marcos Ambrose trying to swap at Watkins Glen. Looking to be a match for the #42 Earnhardt/Ganassi

Rounding out the top-5 at Watkins Glen was the Richard Petty Motorsports driver AJ Allmendinger and pole sitter Carl Edwards who were both driving Ford Fusions.

Next Sunday, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series will return to the two-mile race at Michigan International Speedway.


2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dip At The Glen
Race Results

Top-10

Pos #  | Car # | Driver   | Sponsor/ Car Make

1 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet

2 2  Kurt Busch Miller Lite/Vortex Dodge

3 47 Marcos Ambrose Little Debbie Toyota

4 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia HDTV Ford

5 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford

6 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet

7 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet

8 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Toyota

9 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet

10 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet

Other Notable 

11 29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet

12 39 Ryan Newman U.S.Army Chevrolet

13 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford

19 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet

21 26 Patrick Carpentier Air Guard Ford

26 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet

28 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet

40 36 Ron Fellows Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet

Countdown to the Toronto Honda Indy #6: Meet The Support Series

Preparations for the IZOD IndyCar series 85 lap affair on Sunday garners the most attention, The so-called support series are also providing an almost endless choir of engine revving all over the Toronto street circuit for the 2010 Honda Indy. Below are the kinds of cars on site and ready to compete in their own rights for a valuable victory:




Firestone Indy Lights
Car Type: Open Wheel Dallara
Est. Fast Lap Times: 1 minute, 5 seconds
Est. Horsepower: 450 horsepower
Leading Canadians: James Hinchcliffe

The IZOD IndyCar Series' official support level, the Firestone Indy Lights series has grown tremendously in popularity as high-quality future open wheel stars are in the 2010 crop. With hometown hero James Hinchcliffe certain to give his Team Moore Racing #2 an important driver into Sunday's main race, Charlie Kimball and Frenchman as well as leading 2010 Indy Lights point leader J.K. Vernay will also be strong on the Toronto street course.




NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Car Type: Stock Car
Est Fast Lap Time: 1 minute, 20 seconds
Est. Horsepower: 450-500
Leading Canadians: JR Fitzpatrick, DJ Kennington

The first time for which the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be posted on the Honda Indy weekend schedule, this is not the first time that Canada's leading stock car racing tour is competing on the Lakeshore street course.

Based on previous stock car bouts, Saturday afternoon's race will be a certified crowd pleaser as competitors have shown no apprehension to use fiberglass muscle to gain or hold position. Regular 2010 NASCAR Canadian Series drivers JR Fiztpatrick and Jim Lapcevich often show well on road and street course. However, coming from wins in NASCAR K&N Series races in the U.S., 2009 NASCAR Canadian Tire champ Andrew Ranger will belt in for the round definitely operating as a ringer.





Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship
Car Type: Production-based Touring Car
Est. Fast Lap Time: 1 minute, 22 seconds
Est. Horsepower: 300 (Touring Class), 400 (Super Class)
Leading Canadians: Super Class- Nick Wittmer and Dave Ciekiewicz Touring Class: Alain Lauziere and Anthony Rapone
2009 Winner: Super Class- Greg Pootmans (2 races) Touring Class- Alain Lauziere, Anthony Rapone

Returning to the Honda Indy after a successful 2009 debut, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship are competing in races on Saturday and Sunday with two classes of race machines. Cars campaigned in the series include Honda Civics, BMW 3-Series, Volkswagen GTis and even the Mini Cooper.




Acura Sports Car Challenge
Car Type: Production-based Sports and Touring Car
Est Fast Lap Time: 1 minute, 15 seconds
Est. Horsepower: 425-525(GT), 300-400 (GTS), 180-200 (Touring Car)
Leading Canadians: Kuno Wittmer

Adding a second production-based car class to the Honda Indy 2010 weekend has the Acura Sports Car Challenge running a 50 minute timed event on Saturday. Contrary to the Acura name being on the series, the series has a wide-range of manufacturers represented within three classes. Expect to see a strong showing for the Realtime Racing Acura TSX cars in the GTS class as well as a battle for GT led by Volvo S60s of veteran world-class road racers Andy Pligrim and Randy Pobst




SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series
Car Type- Purpose-built Sports Car
Est. Horsepower: 800
Leading Canadians: Kenny Wilden?, Greg Clifton and Blaise Caida

The Trans-Am series had actually visited the Toronto CNE grounds in previous years when Champ Car sanctioned the event. At that time, the Trans-Am series was briefly free from the long-time sanctioning by the SCCA. The standalone Trans-Am series failed in only a few short seasons but the name was revived by the SCCA. A series name which featured Mark Donohue, Parnelli Jones and Canadian Ron Fellows as alumni, the 2010 Honda Indy weekend event will have Tony Ave and Tomy Drissi favoured but Kenny Wilden could spoil if he has been entered in the race.

Wade Cunningham Wins 2010 Firestone Freedom 100 at Indianapolis

Photo Credit: Ron McQueeney


Coinciding with the final preparations of the Indy 500 at Friday's Carburetion Day, Firestone Indy Lights competitors earn the chance to claim a prized Indianapolis Motor Speedway victory with a 100 mile affair. The Firestone Freedom 100 for 2010 consisted of 16 cars and drivers (some competing on shoestring budgets) for the Indy Light series' biggest race on the 2.5 mile historic oval.

In Wednesday qualifying for the Firestone Freedom 100, English driver Pippa Mann took the pole with an average lap speed of 187.989 miles per hour. Her first Firestone Indy Lights pole, Mann became the first female driver at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to start 1st in an event. Unfortunately Pippa Mann's time in front didn't last long as her #11 car was bypassed early as Wade Cunningham and Charlie Kimball jetted out front.

A heartbreaking blow to a driver who had experienced a very short-lived led at Indy, Pippa Mann's 2010 Firestone Freedom 100 race would end way too early. Early jockeying for position caused Martin Plowman to force the #17 car of Jeff Simmons. Unable to keep control of his race vehicle, Simmons spin out of turn 1 on lap 3. Pippa Mann, directly behind Simmons at the time, was collected rendering her car out of competition. Mann, hardly able to work up a sweat in race after being the polesitter, was shaken mentally and physically by the accident. "I've got some pretty bruised feet, and I'm going to have a very sore neck tomorrow. I'm pretty angry, but I'm OK." Pippa Mann said following her retirement from the Firestone Freedom 100. Taking two top-5 starters out of the 40 lap event, this would be the only caution to fly through the Firestone Indy Lights race.


Photo Credit: Mike Young


While Charlie Kimball was able lead 2 laps on the day, Wade Cunningham in his #77 Sam Schmidt Racing car dominated the Firestone Freedom 100 leading all but the circuits Kimball claimed. Winning his third Freedom 100 race in 2010, Cunningham's previous Indianapolis oval wins fell on even numbered years (2006 and 2008). Though leading most of the 40 laps, New Zealand driver Cunningham credited the #23 of Kimball for "..driving a smart race and hanging back". In reality, Charlie Kimball's car was not a qualified match to the #77 of Cunningham. "The setup wasn't exactly where we wanted it to be. I ran out of tools about midway through the race." Kimball said adding praise to Wade Cunningham and his two prior victories at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Finishing third for Team Moore Racing was James Hinchcliffe who raced with a car he compared to "a rocket ship". While he was able to stay in the draft with Cunningham and Kimball, Hinchcliffe ran out of time as well as afoul of an uncooperate lapped car to cost the Canadian driver an even better finishing position. Dan Clarke and Martin Plowman rounded out the top-5 in the Firestone Freedom 100 race.

Current Firestone Indy Lights series points leader J.K. Vernay experienced a difficult race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In post race, Vernay stated that his #7 Sam Schmidt Racing machine lacked power throughout the event. Finishing 4 laps behind in 16th spot, J.K. Vernay struggles reshapes a large points lead for the Frenchman into a narrow 5 point margin over Charlie Kimball and 23 markers ahead of 3rd place in Indy Lights points James Hinchcliffe.

Stewart Survives to Win Daytona Nationwide Series Race

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR


Driving for 3 different car owners, Tony Stewart has won the season opening race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series 4 of the past 5 times prior to the 2010 running of the 300 mile Saturday afternoon event.

As Friday rain showers prevented the NASCAR Nationwide Series teams to run qualifying, the field was settled on 2009 car owner points placing 2009 series champion Kyle Busch out front in the #18 Interstate Batteries Toyota. The #60 Ford of Carl Edwards, the #88 Chevrolet being driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr, the #33 of Kevin Harvick, and the Richard Childress-owned #21 Chevrolet of John Wes Townley rounded out the top 5 starting positions.

Because of the multitude of series changes with some teams closing and others expanding, the formulation of this 2010 race's grid led to some jockeying for position even before the green dropped. Paul Menard, campaigning a #98 Ford Fusion, gained the final starting spot in the field through some of Daytona's infamous backdoor deals. Because the #98 team had in sufficient car owner points, the team made deals where they allegedly paid 5 other teams to withdraw from the event so Menard could start the race in the 43th and final grid spot.

Under a bright sky, the 43 NASCAR Nationwide series cars accelerated only to be brought to a crawl on lap 2 after the Chevrolets of Brad Teague and Chrissy Wallace ended their days with an accident on the frontstretch. When the race recommenced on lap 5, another accident slowed in the field just 3 laps later. This time, a turn 2 wreck involved 8 Nationwide cars. While some drivers were able to continue with minor damage like Brian Keselowski and Paul Menard, the finish concluded for youngster Trevor Bayne as well as Mike Bliss.

On the lap 11 restart, the RACE4COPD 300 underwent its longest green flag run through the 2010 event. Kevin Harvick, having taken the lead from Busch early, paced the field for much of the 41 lap distance which was interrupted by green flag pit stops. Through the event, the Race4COPD 300 was led by 12 different drivers which included Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, and Steven Wallace as the race progressed.

Having officially announced her intentions for running the NASCAR Nationwide Series Daytona 300 mile race just this Tuesday, Danica Patrick entered her first NASCAR stock car race confident after a strong 6th place finish in the ARCA race. Under the media microscope, Patrick #7 Godaddy.com Chevrolet was a focus periodically through the ESPN broadcast since her start in 13th place. By the midway point, Patrick's run in the more competitive NASCAR Nationwide series proved more challenging along with her ill-handling Chevrolet stock car combining to a mid 30th place run through the first stage of the race. Through pitstops, she fell a lap down briefly but regained a lap during a caution on Daytona's 52nd circuit.

Provided with an opportunity to have some much-needed adjustments done to her #7 car, Danica Patrick began to prove herself competitive against stock car veterans breaking out of her early race slump. However, as Patrick day appeared to be reshaping for the better, a lap 68 incident put an end to the #7 Chevrolet's run along with 11 other race vehicles. Started when the Roush-Fenway Ford of Colin Braun got into Josh Wise going through the frontstretch. Wise's car was shot into another car which then created a major chain reaction. With a wall of sliding stock cars in front of her, Danica Patrick could see an opening on the lower part of the track. That gap closed just enough to catch the #7 car as Patrick clipped another car and flew into the outside wall.


Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images


With the lap 68 accident thought to be the big wreck of the 2010 race, a lap 93 caution would be thrown for a much scarier incident. On the superspeedway's backstretch, the #60 of Carl Edwards and #22 of Brad Keselowski brushed. Keselowski's Dodge slid into Dale Earnhardt Jr Hellman's #88 sending the JR Motorsports Chevrolet sideways towards the outside wall and airborne. Landing on its roof, the #18 Toyota of Kyle Busch and #27 car of Greg Biffle were unable to avoid Earnhardt's car. Eventually ending up back on its wheels in the backstretch's infield, Earnhardt emerged uninjured from the badly mangled Chevrolet. Overall, 10 cars were involved in this final wreck which required a 11 minute red flag to clean up the 2.5 mile racetrack. Early race leader Kevin Harvick was also collected but was able to remain competitive. Also, the main culprits of the 6th caution, Keselowski and Edwards both continued to race suffering only minimal damage.

As the rush for position set in, Kyle Busch lost control of his #18 car through the turn 3 and 4 complex. During the cool down lap, Busch pinned blame on the #12 Dodge following him believing contact was made (replays showed no contact was made). Brad Keselowski has already established a rivalry between himself and Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin.

Through the final 20 lap distance, Tony Stewart driving a #4 Oreo/Ritz-sponsored Kevin Harvick Incorporated Chevrolet held off the challenge of the remaining contenders. Stewart's car owner came home 3rd just behind the #60 Ford of Carl Edwards and ahead of the 4th place Justin Allgaier. James Buescher, who is competed in the ARCA race during Daytona Speedweeks, posted 8th place as the highest-finishing rookie.


Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR


2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Race: Race4COPD 300 Daytona International Speedway Top 10 Finishers

1) 4 Tony Stewart     Ritz Crackers Chevrolet 

2) 60 Carl Edwards     Fastenal Ford 

3) 33 Kevin Harvick     Jimmy John's Chevrolet 

4) 12 Justin Allgaier     Verizon Wireless Dodge 

5) 32 Brian Vickers     Dollar General Toyota 

6) 98 Paul Menard     Menards Ford  

7) 20 Joey Logano     GameStop Toyota 

8) 1 James Buescher      Phoenix Racing Chevrolet

9) 38 Kasey Kahne     Great Clips Toyota 

10) 66 Steve Wallace     5 Hour Energy Toyota

Other Notables

13) 22 Brad Keselowski     Discount Tire Dodge

18) 18 Kyle Busch     Interstate Batteries Toyota

29) 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Hellmann's Chevrolet

35) 7 Danica Patrick     Go Daddy Chevrolet