Why did ALL the road course "ringers" get rung out?

Question

I'm including Marcus A. because he's "supposed" to be good at road courses. Their finishes were 43,42,41,38,35,29. Obviously you could just say bad luck but it's just too consistently bad. I'm thinking maybe they're just too far out of their element (comfort zone?) being in a stock car to run the entire race well. Some made it pretty close but couldn't complete the job. Opinions?

Answer 1

A road course ringer STILL hasn't won................It is the car; they are just not use to the weight of the vehicle, simple as that!

Answer 2

Sorry for the short answer, I'm not trying for best.

Just to be honest, it WAS the COT.

Answer 3

I can never remember a time when road course ringers did well.  It's the same every year.  They are running strong and tough at the beginning, then they fade back and never recover.  

It seems funny that an owner takes out a series regular, who is running for points, and puts in a driver that finishes 41st.  It seems even a driver with little road course experience can at least pull off a 41st place finish.  Take Reed Sorenson for example.  A young driver like that needs seat time on a road course, yet Pruett was driving his car, and brought it home to a 38th place finish.  It makes no sense.

Answer 4

Boris Said having brake and shock issues has nothing to do with his driving ability.  Marcos Ambrose breaking a gear because of shifting when he got hit, has nothing to do with his driving ability.  Brian Simo having transmission problems has nothing with his driving ability.  Max Papis was in the 66 car, that hasn't really been a dominant team that consistently runs up front.  Didn't Ron Fellows get spun too?  I think Scott Pruett got in the middle of the cars that got bunched up (and wrecked) because of Sadler's slower pace due to his tire going flat.  That was not his fault either.  It is no coincidence that these drivers tend to get put into inferior cars that are trying to stay or get into the top 35.  The common thread is that they don't get to hop into the 48, 18 or 99 cars, for example.  They are well within their element and should not be discredited for finishes that they couldn't control.  Many of them were having decent runs before the carnage commenced towards the end of the race.

3 STR8 N 08!!!

Answer 5

You have to remember, these guys are not use to driving a stock car.  Yes they are use to the tracks but the cars are totally different.  Like Ron Fellows said in the pre-race interview, the cars that they drive (corvette, Indy, etc) are lower to the ground, have a wider tire, lighter, etc.  The stock cars are heavy cars.  So it make a big difference in the way that the drivers perform.

Answer 6

I agree with you. Not enough practice and race time in a stock car, definetely contributed to most of there failures yesterday.

Answer 7

I agree to some extent but Marcus did a good job and being taken out by a wreck isn't exactly his fault he would of had a good finish if that hadn't happened!

Answer 8

These new COT's (Checker Cab with a wing) are clumsy unwieldy cars. These guys haven't had enough time behind the wheel of them, tried to drive them like real race cars.

Answer 9

Most road course ringers are all driving for teams that are not always competitive. Example - Scott Pruet(Ganassi); Marcus Ambrose (Wood Brothers); Max Papis (Haas CNC); etc. After all of the road course races the guys that are with competitive teams and the guys that are consistantly good come out on top. I think if one of those drivers were put in a better team they might have a better finish. I still believe the cup regulars would finish higher. It is also probably hard to jump in a stock car twice a year and capitalize with a good finish.

Answer 10

I totally agree that's sad. I'm sad my Marcos did not win