Kyle Busch Goes For Three In A Row

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez -- 04/20/08

Author: Jeremy Dunn

Published: Thursday Apr 17 2008 1:57pm

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series embarks upon a fleeting recess in the grueling 38-week schedule; however, the Nationwide Series will be in full throttle on Sunday afternoon in a south of the border clash. A year ago, Juan Pablo Montoya won his very first stock car event by bumping his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Pruett out of the way. The teammate squabble highlighted the weekend, and NASCAR fans witnessed an exciting race.

Expect much of the same in this season’s rendition of the Corona Mexico 200. Montoya is not planning to defend title, and several other prominent Latino names are missing from the enrty list such as Carlos Contreras, Jorge Goeters, and Jimmy Morales. Additionally, road course specialists Ron Fellows and P.J. Jones astonishingly do not have rides for this weekend’s event.

Kyle Busch is riding a two-race winning streak in the NASCAR Nationwide Series after dominating wins at Texas and Phoenix. Busch is the favorite again this week to accomplish the three-peat, despite the fact that his competition is a bevy of road racing experts. That is how proficient Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing team have been this year.

Scott Pruett is Busch’s foremost threat this weekend.

Projected Top Ten

1. 40-Scott Pruett- (4-1 Odds)

A year ago, Scott Pruett would have finished second instead of fifth if it were not for an over aggressive teammate. Juan Pablo Montoya was going to pass Pruett eventually. Unfortunately, Montoya’s assertiveness initiated some tension in the Chip Ganassi Racing garage. Pruett is over it, and there will be no Montoya this weekend. Pruett’s road racing experience and expertise should prove advantageous against Sprint Cup stars Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Clint Bowyer.

Pruett’s only start at Mexico City resulted in a fifth place finish.

2. 18-Kyle Busch- (4-1 Odds)

Kyle Busch may have won this event two years ago if he did not collide with Michel Jourdain, Jr., who happens to hail from Mexico City. Since the villainous run-in with Jourdain, Jr., Busch has not been a popular man in Mexico. Still, he is a safe bet in any Nationwide Series event. Moreover, the Joe Gibbs Racing outfit won this race two years ago with Denny Hamlin in the driver’s seat.

Busch has competed in one race at Mexico City where he finished seventh.

3. 60-Carl Edwards- (6-1 Odds)

Carl Edwards is not a extraordinary road course racer, but he has improved over the last couple of years. Several of the roads racing experts do not have the equipment that Busch, Edwards, and Bowyer have. The superior equipment should make up for their lack of road racing skills.

Edwards has competed in all three races at Mexico City and has scored finishes of third, eighth, and fourth.

4. 5-Adrian Fernandez- (12-1 Odds)

To make it simple for those who are unfamiliar with Adrian Fernandez, he is the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of Mexico. His home fans adore him. Fernandez has raced on road courses his entire careers, and resume includes racing in Champ Car, the Indianapolis 500, and the American Le Mans Series. Oh yeah, he has the advantage of competing in Hendrick Motorsports equipment with Lowe’s as the primary sponsor.

Like Edwards, Fernandez has competed in all three events at Mexico City, all with Hendrick Motorsports. He has posted finishes of tenth, twelfth, and ninth.

5. 25-Boris Said- (6-1 Odds)

Boris Said enters the Corona Mexico 200 driving for Team Rensi. Said has competed in just about every Sprint Cup road course race this decade, and has been a solid contender in each of his starts. He is still searching for his first Nationwide Series victory, and this may be his best opportunity. He will have his work cut out for him as Pruett, Busch, Edwards, Bowyer, and Fernandez are in better equipment.

Said has competed in all three races at Mexico City and has posted finishes of fifth, second, and third.

6. 2-Clint Bowyer- (13-2 Odds)

Clint Bowyer has not been terrible on the road courses, but he has not stood out either. He has yet to confirm that he is a solid threat on the tracks that require right-hand turns. A driver with Bowyer’s talent usually adapts to diverse racing conditions, so he should gradually improve over the years, but it is too soon to place too much stock in Bowyer winning this race.

In two career starts at Mexico City, Bowyer has scored finishes of seventh, and sixteenth.

7. 9-Patrick Carpentier- (9-1 Odds)

It was his second place finish at Montreal last summer while driving for Fitz Racing that caught the eye of Ray Evernham and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. That runner-up finish to Kevin Harvick launched Patrick Carpentier’s NASCAR career. With his vast experience on road courses, Carpentier is a legitimate favorite to win this race. He has the expertise and equipment.

Carpentier has never started a Nationwide Series event at Mexico City.

8. 59-Marcos Ambrose- (9-1 Odds)

Road course racing almost comes naturally to the former off-road racer from Australia. Marcos Ambrose should have won the race in Montreal last summer, but he was a victim of a signature Robby Gordon tantrum. Even though he did not win, his road racing prowess was evident, which makes him a solid favorite each time the Nationwide Series visits a road course venue.

Ambrose finished eighth in his only start at Mexico City.

9. 12-Sam Hornish, Jr.- (22-1) Odds

With his open-wheel background, Sam Hornish, Jr., should enjoy a solid weekend. Even though most of his success in Indy Racing was on the oval tracks, he still possesses valuable seat time on the road courses. Did you know that Hornish, Jr. has never scored a top ten in a Nationwide raceΔ He is overdue indeed.

Hornish, Jr. has never raced at Mexico City.

10. 32-Michel Jourdain, Jr.- (16-1 Odds)

While Adrian Fernandez is arguably Mexico’s favorite driver, Michel Jourdain, Jr. is probably is close second. Jourdain, Jr. was leading this race two years ago when Kyle Busch ran into this back bumper. He will be driving for Braun Racing, which has the support of Toyota Racing Development. This is Jourdain’s best opportunity thus far to win a stock car race. Will he pull it offΔ It is unlikely that he will.

In three career starts at Mexico City, Jourdain, Jr. has posted finishes of 37th, 38th, and 25th.

Also keep an eye on- Max Papis (22-1 Odds), David Reutimann (30-1 Odds), Ron Hornaday (20-1 Odds), Scott Wimmer (25-1 Odds), and Jason Leffler (25-1 Odds)

Great darkhorse picks include- Colin Braun (20-1 Odds), Brad Coleman (40-1 Odds), Brad Keselowski (40-1 Odds), Ruben Pardo (80-1 Odds), and Brian Simo (100-1) Odds