Besides the season-opening weekend at Daytona International Speedway, these upcoming few days might rank at the top of any “Biggest NASCAR Weekends Of 2011” lists. Here’s why …
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
It’s the Brickyard 400. Period.
Still, added bonuses join the usual pageantry and prestige affixed to any event at this historic venue.
For one, the Wild Card. After race No. 26 at Richmond, the top-10 drivers will be locked in the 12-driver Chase. Spots 11 and 12 will go to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20. Only seven races remain between now and NASCAR’s playoffs, and Wild Card-eligible opportunities are dwindling.
Three drivers, in particular, to watch: Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jamie McMurray. All three are outside the top 10, and all three have enjoyed success at IMS (see below for more).
Sunday’s Brickyard 400 is also the first race in the Sprint Summer Showdown presented by HTC EVO 3D. Any driver who wins between Indianapolis and Bristol (the next five races) will become a finalist for the AdvoCare 500 in Atlanta. If one of those eligible drivers wins the Atlanta race, then the driver, the driver’s charity and fan each collect $1,000,000. Peruse the pre-race Driver Rating for possible victory candidates in race No. 1. The top five at Indy: Stewart (109.3), Montoya (106.4), Mark Martin (105.3), Jimmie Johnson (100.1) and Greg Biffle (97.7).
NASCAR Nationwide Series at Lucas Oil Raceway
Travis Pastrana, welcome aboard. Pastrana, X Games gold-medalist and action sports superstar, will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut this weekend.
Pastrana, who has won multiple titles in supercross, motocross and rally cars, has taken a NASCAR crash course of sorts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. He has run five NASCAR K&N Pro Series races this year, with a best finish of sixth in his NASCAR debut in January at the Toyota All-Star Showdown.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Lucas Oil Raceway
This weekend pairs two long-standing trademarks of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: short-track racing and Ron Hornaday Jr.
Of the 20 races on the inaugural 1995 series schedule, 15 were held on short tracks – including a race at Lucas Oil Raceway.
Ron Hornaday Jr. competed in that event, finishing 19th. His finishes improved a bit since then, to the tune of series records in wins (48) and championships (four). But hard times have befallen the four-time champion. His points position of ninth is his second-lowest through 12 races in any of his full-time seasons. A reason for optimism: He’s won the last two LOR races, and three of the last four.
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