Week 20 Preview: Indianapolis

Crown Royal Presents the John Wayne Walding 400

Week 20

By Richard Tix

It was just MLB All Star weekend here in Minnesota so no long rants this week. NASCAR heads to Indy for its lone stop at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The entry list this week is a bit larger than the past few weeks because everyone wants a chance to run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Last season Ryan Newman won which would have been a driver stealing a win to get into the Chase. Jamie McMurray (2010) and Paul Menard (2011) have also notched wins at Indy which would both be considered upsets. So, in the first season where a driver can win and get into the Chase will one steal a win this Sunday? Lets dive right into the Good, Middle, and Bad.

The Good, Middle, and Bad

(This is just a review of each drivers recent past performance, generally about 5-10 past races)

The Good

• Tony Stewart- Not much to say about Smoke that people don't already know when it comes to Indy, he is that good. In 15 tries he has only finished out of the top 10 four times, and only twice outside the top 12 (17th and 23rd). He has a current streak of 5 top 10's here but last won in 2007 so he is due.
• Jeff Gordon- The first 10 races run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway were pretty much all about Jeff Gordon. From 1994-2004 Gordon won 40% of the time (4 times) and had 8 finishes of 6th or better. Though JG hasn't won here since 2004 he has still been a front runner.
• Jimmie Johnson- He has four career wins here but also seems to find bad luck from time to time. It seems to be feast or famine when it comes to his finishes. 
• Kyle Busch- After Gordon, Johnson and Stewart there is a huge fall off of drivers who have been consistently good at Indy. Kyle kind of fits that mold as he has 8 top 10's in 10 tries. Kyle has lacked dominant performances so far in his career (Only 2 top 5's and no wins) but he still has a good track record.

The Middle

• Clint Bowyer- Lot's of drivers could fit into this spot this week, but the fact that in 8 tries Bowyer has only two top 10's but still manages a career average finish of 13.2 seems to be the definition of "middle," or average. He has yet to finish outside the top 20 in his career but boasts two 4th place finishes.

The Bad

• Marcus Ambrose- Well he hasn't been good here, but he hasn't been terrible. But, no top 10's in 6 starts will still get you in the category no driver wants to be in.
• Martin Truex Jr- The plus side is his last two finished here were 11th and 8th. The downside? He still has an average finish of 20.3 in his career and he is not with MWR anymore.
• Kurt Busch- He has had a few good runs at Indy but it is hard to hide the fact that he has a 19.4 average finish in his 13 starts here. (Dale Earnhardt Jr also has comparable stats so Jr Nation you are lucky).

Track Stats

• A race has been won from the Pole three times in 20 NASCAR races (Newman 2013, Jimmie Johnson 2008, and Kevin Harvick 2003).
• Gordon and Johnson are tied for most track wins (4) and Tony Stewart just trails them with 2.
• Eight current drivers have a win at Indy (included Bobby Labonte).
• Of current drivers Gordon has led the most laps (488) followed by Johnson (302).
• Cheverlet has won the last 11 races here and 12 of the last 13. 
• Toyota has yet to win at Indianapolis. 

More Indy Info:

• IMS Schedule
• IMS Entry List
• Sprint Cup Chase Standings
• Power Rankings
• Chasing the Chase