Welcome to another edition of Four Burning Questions! In this edition, we tackle the four questions looming on the minds of race fans after the melee that was Michigan and how these questions will play out at Infineon this weekend.
1. Will Jimmie Johnson be able to defend his crown at Infineon?
At this stage last year, Jimmie Johnson was in midseason form, racking up his fourth win of the 2010 season at Infineon after a colossal faux pas by Marcos Ambrose in the closing laps. But this year, despite being fifth in points, Johnson only has one win to his credit at Talladega and has been plagued with inconsistency on the track and a slew of pit-road miscues. If Johnson is to get his season back on the winning track, Infineon would be the ideal place to get that elusive second win of 2011.
However, that will be far easier said than done, having to go up against drivers such as Juan Pablo Montoya, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon along with road-course “ringers” such as Boris Said and drivers on the cusp of their first NASCAR win such as Ambrose, AJ Allmendinger and even Paul Menard. The hidden question in all this? Do Jimmie and his team have the wherewithal to bounce back from recent part failures and pit road problems? Whatever the answer, he’s at the ideal place for a shot in the arm given his past wins at Infineon.
2. Can Marcos Ambrose get redemption after his heart-breaking loss last year at Infineon?
Last year, Ambrose had the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in hand until he did the racing equivalent of dropping a winning mega-millions lottery ticket down the sewer drain when he stalled his car under caution trying to save fuel. The gaffe cost him his position and gift-wrapped the win for Johnson.
After last year’s heartbreak, one thing is crystal clear: Ambrose is going to be a man on a mission, hell-bent on wiping away the memories of last year’s slow burn. Ambrose has always been a factor to win at the road courses ever since his arrival in NASCAR, and it’s not so much a matter of if he will get that first victory. It’s just a matter of when he collects that win and he will go full bore with something to prove after last year’s fiasco. This year, that just might lead to sweet vindication for Ambrose.
3. Will a “road-course ringer” have a realistic shot at rewriting history?
One thing that can always be counted on at Infineon and Watkins Glen is the presence of ringers from the world of road racing. This year, there are six ringers vying for an opportunity to be the first to win on a road course since Mark Donohue in 1973 at the old Riverside track. And looking at the list of ringers, only one truly stands a legitimate chance of rewriting history. That driver is Boris Said.
Said will be wheeling the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet, coming off a win last year at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in the NASCAR Nationwide Series ranks. Said has consistently been a factor in road-course races over the last decade and a half in NASCAR and has been known to get the most out of any racecar he steps into. Driving for James Finch this weekend could very well provide Said with, at the very least, an outside shot at victory.
4. How will Joe Gibbs Racing be affected by their penalties for Michigan?
The talk of NASCAR Nation this past week was about the overweight oil pans all three Joe Gibbs Racing cars were outfitted with. In the wake of the rules violations, each crew chief (Mike Ford, Dave Rogers and Greg Zippadelli) was fined $50,000 and put on probation until Dec. 31. Going into Infineon, one has to wonder if these fines will have any real adverse effect on the Joe Gibbs Racing teams and the crew chiefs.
Honestly, there likely will be little, if any difference in the day-to-day operations for each team, with the performance of all three teams unlikely to be affected short term or long term. With Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin’s teams in the thick of the Chase hunt, it is imperative for both of them to suffer no side effects from these penalties. Only time will tell if the infractions create a noticeable impact on the teams or not.
The Frontstretch Staff is made up of a group of talented men and women spread out all over the United States and Canada. Residing in 15 states throughout the country, plus Ontario, and widely ranging in age, the staff showcases a wide variety of diverse opinions that will keep you coming back for more week in and week out.
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