NASCAR Notebook: Win Puts Ambrose Into Wild Card Race

You could say Marcos Ambrose did himself – and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fans – a big favor by winning at Watkins Glen International for the second consecutive season. Ambrose’s Aug. 11 victory gives him a shot at his first Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup appearance.

He also became the sixth different winner among drivers ranked 11th through 20th in the points standings, adding yet another dimension to the pursuit of two “Wild Card” berths in this year’s Chase.

The Australian still has work remaining. His second career victory pushed him to 17th in points and fifth among “Wild Card” eligible winners. Ambrose likely needs at least one more victory but should be among favorites this week at Michigan International Speedway.

Ambrose won the Coors Light Pole for the repaved track’s June race at 203.241 mph and finished ninth.

Kasey Kahne, twice a winner this year and 11th in points, remains the holder of the first Chase “Wild Card.” Ryan Newman (13th) provisionally holds the second and final spot, which was previously held by Pocono winner Jeff Gordon (15th).

Kyle Busch (14th) was poised to match Kahne’s victory total until spinning from the lead on The Glen’s final lap. Ambrose and Joey Logano (18th) are the remaining eligible winners.

Here’s how the “Wild Card” derby shapes up in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400:
– Kahne has won once at Michigan (2006) but finished 33rd in June
– Newman counts two victories at MIS (2003-04) and finished 15th in the track’s first race
– Busch is the defending winner of the Pure Michigan 400 but was 32nd in June
– Gordon, a two-time Michigan winner, finished sixth in June
– Ambrose’s top-10 finish in June was his first at Michigan
– Logano’s best Michigan finish is seventh. He was 35th in the year’s first trip to MIS

The “Wild Card” picture may be clarified this week but nothing will be decided. No “at-large” driver can clinch a Chase berth. And it’s possible another driver will toss his helmet into the “Wild Card” ring.

Carl Edwards, in 12th, remains a viable candidate – especially at MIS. He was a “quiet” 11th in June but has a pair of wins, most recently the ’08 Pure Michigan 400. With nine top fives and 12 top 10s, Edwards has an average Michigan finish of 8.4. He also is solid in many Loop Data categories: series-high 723 Quality Passes, second-most laps in the top 15 (2,391, 81.4%), third-most Fastest Laps Run (178) and fourth-best Driver Rating (104.7).

An Edwards victory would give Roush Fenway Racing 12 wins at Michigan, breaking a tie with the Wood Brothers for most all-time at the two-mile track.

Johnson Regains Top Spot For Ninth Consecutive Season

One lesson learned from Jimmie Johnson’s and Chad Knaus’ five consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup championships: The No. 48 Hendrick motorsports Chevrolet team is relentless.

So it’s no surprise that Johnson and Knaus have finished digging themselves out of their post-Daytona 500 hole – 37th following a 43rd-place finish in February’s Great American Race.

A third-place finish in Sunday’s Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen finally pushed Johnson into the series points lead. Johnson, who last appeared in the No. 1 position after last September’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, has now been the points leader in a modern record (1975 forward) extending nine consecutive seasons.

Johnson stood eighth in points entering May’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. After giving owner Rick Hendrick his 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup victory, Johnson and Knaus have gone on a tear winning again at Dover and Indianapolis among eight top 10s in 11 starts.

While first place in the regular season amounts to significant bragging rights, it doesn’t guarantee seeding when points are reset for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Bonus points are awarded for wins – three for each. Johnson has that aspect covered, as well. He is one of three drivers with three wins apiece battling for the No. 1 Chase seed. Three-time and reigning champion Tony Stewart (eighth in points) and Brad Keselowski (fifth) also have three victories.

Johnson can also lock up Chase berth with a win on Sunday – which could prove a tall task. Michigan is one of five active NSCS tracks at which Johnson has yet to win (Watkins Glen, Chicagoland, Homestead and Kentucky are the others). He finished fifth at the Irish Hills in June.

Junior Promises More Aggressive Approach In Michigan Return

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s reign at the top of the points standings is over for now, lasting just two races.

He’s no doubt glad the season’s two road races – in which he finished 23rd and 28th – are in the past. And that the Chase doesn’t contain a race with left and right turns. Success wasn’t kind to Junior. His two worst finishes of the season came after ascending to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series lead. He also failed to finish on the lead lap at Pocono and Watkins Glen after completing every serial through the season’s first 20 races.

The return to Michigan should erase much of the past weeks’ frustration. Earnhardt won at MIS in June snapping a four-year, 143-race victory drought.

“The track has always been fun for me. Even had I not won any races there, it’s just a really fun track,” said Earnhardt, a two-time Michigan winner. “That’s the kind of race track you hope and pray to build. I think over time the surface will age and we’ll get back to widening up the surface quite a bit.”

A solid fourth in points, Earnhardt has his sights set on winning at least one more race to gain bonus points for the Chase standings reset.

“On the way to getting that done, you want to win more races and we were really conservative all year long,” he said. “We feel like that in the position we are in now, we can gamble a lot more.”

Time Running Out For JGR To End Season’s Skid

Momentum, momentum, who’s got some momentum?

That could be the primary question being asked at Joe Gibbs Racing on the eve of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

It’s unthinkable but possible that JGR could be shut out of this year’s post season. Although the team scored three wins in the past five trips to Michigan – Hamlin twice, Busch once – each of the JGR cars finished outside the top 30 at MIS in June.
Only one of its drivers – Denny Hamlin – has a provisional Chase spot. And Hamlin, who opened the season looking like the competitor who nearly won the 2010 championship, has been fading of late.

Hamlin is vulnerable, having dropped to 10th place in the standings just 40 points ahead of Kasey Kahne. Since finishing 34th at Michigan in June, the Virginia driver has finished 25th or worse in five of eight races. He was 29th at Pocono; 34th at The Glen. Accidents and mechanical problems have dogged the No. 11 Toyota, whose next win will be record-extending No. 200 for the No. 11 machine.

Kyle Busch came within a lap of virtually locking up a “Wild Card” spot at The Glen, only to spin from the lead on the final lap.

And Joey Logano, following Marcos Ambrose’s Glen victory, was bumped down to sixth and last among “Wild Card” hopefuls.

Champagne’s On Ice: Some Drivers Nearing Playoff Clinch

Though seemingly a formality, five drivers can mathematically clinch a spot in the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

Here are the candidates, and the necessary facts and figures for a clinch:
– Jimmie Johnson:  The magic number for this weekend is 145. Any driver 145 points ahead of 11th place leaving Michigan will clinch a top 10 spot, which is of special importance to Johnson. After race No. 26 at Richmond, all 12 Chase drivers will have their points reset to 2,000. But only the top 10 will earn three bonus points for each win during the regular season. Currently Johnson has three wins, equaling nine potential Chase bonus points. Johnson currently sits 124 points ahead of 11th (a maximum of 47 points can be made up in a given race). He could also clinch at least a Wild Card spot by winning on Sunday, regardless of his stature ahead of 11th.
– Greg Biffle: Biffle can lock up a top-10 spot. Currently owning a 123-point cushion over 11th, Biffle needs to reach the magic number of 145 leaving Michigan.
-Matt Kenseth: Like his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Kenseth can clinch a top-10 spot by leaving Michigan with a 145-point lead over 11th. He currently sits 122 points ahead of 11th.
– Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Earnhardt has a tougher task than the aforementioned drivers. His current cushion over 11th is 107 points. He can lock up a top-10 spot by reaching the 145-point magic number.
– Brad Keselowski: Keselowski has a remote chance of clinching at least a Wild Card spot with a win on Sunday, depending on the finishes of a number of other drivers.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Notes

Marcos Ambrose’s victory last Sunday pushed the “winners” total to 14 different winners in 22 races. The full-season record is 19, most recently set in 2001. Seven drivers who won last year remain winless in 2012: Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, David Ragan, Paul Menard, Regan Smith and Trevor Bayne. … Scott Speed finished 17th last Sunday at Watkins Glen, giving Leavine Family Racing its best NASCAR Sprint Cup finish since joining the series last season. … Milestone Watch: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s next lap led will be No. 7,000 in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. … Ryan Newman continues to chase Coors Light Pole No. 50. He has one Michigan pole, in 2005.

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NASCAR Nationwide Series: Saturday’s Montreal Race To Have Strong Canadian Presence

As the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads north of the border this weekend, the locale isn’t the only aspect of the weekend that will have a Canadian flavor to it. Currently, there are nine drivers from Canada on the entry list vying for a spot in Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

Leading the Canadian contingent at Montreal is former winner Ron Fellows, who won in the series’ second trip to the track in 2008. Fellows will be piloting the No. 5 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports.

Canadian drivers also include Patrick Carpentier (No. 99 Toyota), Louis-Phillipe Dumoulin (No. 08 Ford), Kenny Habul (No. 75 Toyota), Daryl Harr (No. 4 Chevrolet), Dexter Stacey (No. 23 Chevrolet), Alex Tagliani (No. 30 Chevrolet), Jacques Villeneuve (No. 22 Dodge) and Derek White (No. 24 Toyota).

Fellows (Toronto) also has more experience in the series than the other Canadian drivers. In 13 seasons, he has competed in 23 races, winning four of them. Besides his win at Montreal in 2008, he has also claimed the checkered flag at Watkins Glen three times (1998, 2000 and 2001).

Carpentier (Joliette) is the next most experienced driver among the nine with 15 starts. Harr (Alberta) and Villeneuve (St. Jean-sur-Richelieu) are next with 10 and eight starts, respectively. Tagliani (Montreal) has made three series starts and Habul (Etobicoke) two. Dumoulin (Trois-Rivieres) and Stacey (Kahnawake) have both made one series start, while this would be White’s (Kahnawake) first.

Annett Making Run At Championship Title

Michael Annett’s strong second half could propel him into title contention as well as his best career points finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Annett’s best final points standing was last year when he finished ninth on the strength of seven top 10s.

After 21 races in 2012, Annett sits sixth in points standings, 109 points behind first-place Elliott Sadler. He already has eight top-10 finishes.

In the past seven races (beginning at Kentucky on June 29), he has chalked up four top-five and five top-10 finishes. His lowest finish was 11th at New Hampshire and Watkins Glen. His best finish was at Daytona in July, when he placed third. His average finish over that time period is 6.3.

If Annett is to successfully usurp the points lead from Sadler, he would have to continue his stellar performance as of late buoyed by a victory or two. In addition, there are four other drivers he would have to overtake: Justin Allgaier (35 points ahead of Annett), Austin Dillon (80), Sam Hornish Jr. (85) and reigning series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (96).

Bowles Returns To Montreal In Search Of First Top-10 Finish

Last year in the NAPA Auto Parts 200 Presented by Dodge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Jason Bowles finished a career-best 13th. Bowles, currently in 13th place in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, has been trying to eclipse that mark ever since.

Over the past 12 races, he has come close by posting seven finishes between 14th and 17th place. This weekend, Bowles will strap in into the No. 81 American Majority Toyota Camry for MacDonald Motorsports.

Through the first 21 races of the NASCAR Nationwide season, Bowles has posted 11 top-20 finishes with his two best finishes at another road course, Road America, and Daytona International Speedway (both 14th-place performances).

MacDonald Motorsports and owner Randy MacDonald, a native of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, made their first NASCAR Nationwide start in 1986 at Oxford Plains Speedway in Maine, where they finished 26th. This is the first year Bowles has driven for the long-standing team, which has competed in 279 series races under the MacDonald family banner. Prior to this season, Bowles had five starts in the series for three different teams.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Notes

Kyle Busch and Sam Hornish Jr. will both pull double-duty this weekend by appearing in the NAPA Auto Part Parts 200 Presented By Dodge at Montreal on Saturday and the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan on Sunday. … Dillon, Timmy Smith, Dexter Stacey and Derek White will all pull double-duty by appearing in both the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series races. … Also, Alex Tagliani will pull double-duty competing in both the NASCAR Nationwide and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series races at Montreal with Starworks Motorsport. He was the runner-up in the NASCAR Nationwide race last year. … Danica Patrick will make her 50th NASCAR National Series start (three in NASCAR Sprint Cup, 46 in NASCAR Nationwide). … Blake Koch will attempt to make his 50th NASCAR Nationwide start this weekend.

Camping World Trucks: Owners Putting Forth Effort To Showcase ‘Young Guns’

Everything points toward the crowning of a first-time champion in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The top seven – and nine of the top 10 – in current standings have yet to win a title.

It’s also possible the champion will be an under-30 driver for just the third time in series history and a year after Austin Dillon became the series’ youngest champion at 22. Dillon’s younger brother Ty, 21, is eight points out of the lead and four of the top six in the standings have yet to celebrate their 25th birthdays.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series director Wayne Auton isn’t surprised at the turn of events pointing to owners like Richard Childress, Steve Turner and Eddie Sharp having faith in future stars.

“A lot of it has got to do with the owners,” Auton said. “They’re putting forth all the effort to make these ‘young guns’ look so good. This is unbelievable how they race and take care of their equipment.”

Dillon, James Buescher and Justin Lofton count a combined four wins, 12 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes.

“Their talent has to be the one thing you look at,” Auton said.

This isn’t the first time that the series has identified NASCAR’s future stars.
“Jack (Roush) was a perfect example. He used the series to find his next best talent and used it for everything – crew chiefs and drivers,” Auton said.

Roush’s farm system produced NSCS champion Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Biffle’s current NSCS crew chief Matt Puccia.

Points Leader Peters Gets Help At Red Horse Racing

Veteran Timothy Peters is looking for a bounce-back at Michigan. Collected in a late-race incident at Pocono Raceway on Aug. 4 that virtually erased his sizeable points lead, Peters is facing a pack of challengers. Sunoco Rookie of the Year leader Ty Dillon is eight points behind entering the season’s second half. Only 35 points separate Peters and sixth-place Parker Kligerman.

Peters, who finished second a year ago in Michigan behind Kevin Harvick, won’t be alone. He’ll again have two teammates – Todd Bodine and Kligerman, the latter making his debut with Red Horse Racing after 11 races with Brad Keselowski Racing.

Red Horse had fielded three Toyotas during the early season, including the No. 7 now assigned to Kligerman that carried John King to victory at Daytona in February.

Dillon will make his Michigan truck debut; however, he won an ARCA event at the 2.0-mile track a year ago. Justin Lofton, who led the points earlier in the season and now stands fourth, also has an ARCA victory at MIS. James Buescher, in third, finished fourth in last year’s NCWTS race.

Michigan A Cloudy Crystal Ball

Michigan’s races have been just about anybody’s game.

Three series champions – Greg Biffle, Travis Kvapil and Johnny Benson – are former winners.

There have been seven consecutive different winners of the VFW 200, beginning with Dennis Setzer in 2005. Setzer is the only former winner expected to compete.

Front-row starters have won just twice: Biffle in 2000 and Kvapil in 2007, the only Keystone Light Pole winner to reach Victory Lane. Nine of the 12 winners have come from a top-10 start, with Colin Braun the deepest-starting winner (12th in 2009).
Last year’s pole winner, Matt Crafton, led the race’s first 20 laps but failed to finish due to accident. His fast lap of 177.489 mph likely will be eclipsed by most or all qualifiers since Michigan was repaved following last year’s race. Crafton is seeking his 150th top-10 finish in the series.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Notes

Kurt Busch will make his first NCWTS appearance in 11 years at the wheel of the No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota. Busch made just one start after his four-win, rookie of the year season, finishing fifth at The Milwaukee Mile in 2001. … A victory this weekend would make Michigan-native Brad Keselowski and his father, Bob Keselowski, the first father and son to win a NASCAR Camping World Truck race. The elder Keselowski won at Richmond in 1997. … Jennifer Jo Cobb bids to become just the second female to start 50 NCWTS races when she competes in Saturday’s race. Kelly Sutton is the all-time leader with 54. … Ford has five Michigan victories but none thus far in 2012. Jason White is the highest ranked among Ford drivers in points (10th) and finished sixth in last year’s VFW 200.