Nationwide : The First Of Three Road Courses Is An Unfamiliar Test

Smith Increases Points Lead At Michigan, Makes First Trip To Road America

There is always a first time for everything. This Saturday, the NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Regan Smith will make his first start at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., in the Johnsonville Sausage 200 Presented by Menards.

Although he has never competed at the 4.05-mile road course in 116 series starts, he has raced four times on road courses in the NNS: twice at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City and twice at Watkins Glen International in New York. His finishes haven’t exactly been storybook; he has an average finishing position of 23.25 and has never led a lap, however, he’s finished on the lead lap in all four events.

Before the last race of 2012, Smith hadn’t competed in the series since 2007 when he ran a partial schedule for Ginn Racing. Last year, the Cato, N.Y., native sat behind the wheel of one of JR Motorsports’ Chevrolets for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his first race in the series in five years. However, it was like he had never left, as he held off Kyle Busch in the closing laps to secure the victory.

That momentum has certainly carried over into 2013 with Smith winning two of the first 13 races (Talladega, Michigan). His Talladega victory propelled him into the points lead over Sam Hornish Jr., who held the lead after each of the first seven races.

Going into last Saturday’s Michigan race, Smith’s lead was a healthy 23 points over Hornish. By the end of the night, Smith had increased it to a 58-point advantage. That margin might be threatened this weekend at Road America, where Hornish finished fifth last year in his only start at the road course.

Smith, however, has been firing on all cylinders lately as he rides a streak of 11 consecutive top-10 finishes into Road America.

 

The First Of Three Road Courses Is An Unfamiliar Test

Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., marks the first of three road courses on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule and could provide a look into how drivers will perform in the other two: Watkins Glen International and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, both in August.

The biggest test for many of the drivers regarding Road America is their unfamiliarity with the track. There are currently 14 drivers vying for a spot in the starting field who have never competed in any of the series’ three events there. Another 14 drivers have only competed there once in the series.

The 14 drivers without previous Road America starts are AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, James Buescher, Landon Cassill, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Mike Harmon, Parker Kligerman, Kyle Larson, Johnny O’Connell, Travis Pastrana, Regan Smith, Dexter Stacey, Brian Vickers and Derek White.

The NNS has run three races at Road America and each time a different driver has celebrated in Victory Lane.

In the series’ inaugural visit to the 4.05-mile road course in 2010, Carl Edwards bested road-course specialist Ron Fellows. The next season, Reed Sorenson was out in front of Fellows when the race ended under caution. Last year, Nelson Piquet Jr. started on the pole and held off Michael McDowell and Fellows to take the checkers. 

 

Road Racing Brings Out The “Ringers”

The most challenging aspect of Saturday’s Johnsonville Sausage 200 Presented by Menards at Road America for the NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars might not be the facility’s 14 challenging turns, but rather the road-course specialists that are racing alongside them.

These specialists are adept at turning left … and right, and are often challenging for the win at the few road courses that dot the national series’ schedules. For instance, all 24 of Ron Fellows’ starts in the NNS have come at road courses, including Road America where he has three top-three finishes in three starts.

Although Fellows is not entered in this weekend’s race, there are as many as nine road-course “ringers” currently slated to attempt to make the starting field. The list of drivers includes AJ Allmendinger, Kenny Habul, Billy Johnson, Kyle Kelley, Owen Kelly, Michael McDowell, Max Papis, Derek White and John Young.

 

NASCAR Nationwide Series Etc.

A trust fund has been created to help care for five-year-old Charlie Dean Leffler, whose father, Jason Leffler, died June 12, when his sprint car struck a wall at a New Jersey dirt track. Donations in Jason’s memory can be made to the Charlie Dean Leffler Discretionary Trust. … A memorial service for Leffler will be held Wednesday, June 19at Grace Covenant Church in Cornelius, N.C. … Four-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner and 2001 Rolex 24 At Daytona overall winner Johnny O’Connell will qualify in the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for his NASCAR national touring series debut this Saturday at Road America. … Two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion Andrew Ranger (2007, 2009) will attempt to qualify for his first NNS start of 2013, his 15th overall.