Every time a road course race pops up on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, a few unfamiliar names appear on the entry list. They’re the “road course ringers,” and oftentimes they threaten to steal a victory.
Usually, they fall short in that endeavor. The last time a “road course ringer” won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race was in 1973 when Mark Donohue won at Riverside International Raceway.
Ringers to watch this weekend: Boris Said, Ron Fellows, P.J. Jones and Andrew Ranger.
Boris Said: With wild hair and a notebook-filling personality, Said has notched seven top 10s at road courses, including a third-place run at Watkins Glen in 2005. He finished 28th at Infineon Raceway in June. Said will be driving the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet this weekend.
Ron Fellows: If only Fellows’ NASCAR Nationwide Series road-course success could translate to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Fellows has four road-course wins in NASCAR Nationwide competition, including three at Watkins Glen. In the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, he’s winless with two runner-up finishes at The Glen (1999, 2004). Fellows will run the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet this weekend.
P.J. Jones: His boss – Robby Gordon – could teach him a thing or two at Watkins Glen. Gordon won at The Glen in 2003, and has 10 road-course top 10s overall. Jones’ numbers: two road-course top 10s in 18 starts. He’ll run the No. 77 Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge on Sunday.
Andrew Ranger: The two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion (2007, ’09) will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the No. 32 FAS Lane Racing Ford. He has two road-course top 10s in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, at Road America and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
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