The Nationwide guys are heading to New York, for the Zippo 200 from Watkins Glen. It’s road course racing at it’s finest where we will see the return of Marcos Ambrose, in what will most likely be his final Nationwide Race with JTG Daugherty, the team that helped him break into Nascar Racing.
Calling all Ringers: The Zippo 200 Nationwide Preview
Ambrose will leave JTGD at the end of the season, and all signs point to him driving for Richard Petty Motorsports. It is possible that Ambrose could run some Nationwide next year.
RPM driver Paul Menard currently drives a Nationwide entry for Roush Fenway. Menard is rumored to be leaving RPM for Richard Childress Racing, which announced that they will not return next year to the Nationwide Series.
We still have Morgan Shepherd driving the #21 car, and we may see him drive it the rest of the season. No word yet if RCR will sell the #21 team points, or if they will have Kevin Harvick Inc. run the car instead.
There is one unsettling thing about this week. That’s the entry list. It only has 43 cars on it.
We started with 40, then the #36 team entered the event. Any team that enters late will not get owner or driver points, but will get winnings. So the #36 team will not recieve any points, which won’t be an issue, since it’s probably gonna be a start and park team anyway. Nascar scrambled to fill the final two open spots to make sure that 43 cars take to the track this Saturday.
MacDonald Motorsports pulled out a backup car and painted a number #82 on the door, and Specialty Racing decided to join the party after all. The #61 team has entered, then withdrawn from the last 3 races.
We now have a full field, and three more teams that will start and park. Hurray for Nascar.
On a lighter note, I for one, love Road Course Racing - so much so that I like to capitalize the phrase. It think that Nascar should embrace this practice fully. Having at least 4 or 5 road course events in each of it’s three divisions.
And there should be a Road Course race in the chase. Am I alone in this?
Entry List, and more after the Jump!
| Ent. | Car # | Driver | Sponsor | Manu. | Owner |
| 1 | 01 | Mike Wallace | TBA | 10 Chevy | Lori Davis |
| 2 | 1 | Ryan Newman | Phoenix Construction | 10 Chevy | James Finch |
| 3 | 05 | Victor Gonzalez Jr | Cash America/31-W Insulation | 10 Chevy | Wayne Day |
| 4 | 6 | Billy Johnson | Citifinancial | 10 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 5 | 7 | J R Fitzpatrick | Schick Hydro | 10 Chevy | Bryan Mullet |
| 6 | 09 | Boris Said | TBD | 10 Ford | Robby Benton |
| 7 | 10 | Tayler Malsam | Iron Horse Jeans | 08 Toyota | Todd Braun |
| 8 | 11 | Brian Scott | AccuDoc | 10 Toyota | Harry Scott Jr |
| 9 | 12 | Justin Allgaier | Verizon Wireless | 10 Dodge | Roger Penske |
| 10 | 15 | Michael Annett | TBD | 10 Toyota | Bob Germain |
| 11 | 16 | Colin Braun | CON-WAY | 10 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 12 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Combos | 10 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 13 | 20 | Joey Logano | GameStop | 10 Toyota | Joe Gibbs |
| 14 | 21 | Morgan Shepherd | Victory in Jesus | 10 Chevy | Richard Childress |
| 15 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Ruby Tuesday / Discount Tire | 10 Dodge | Jodi Geschickter |
| 16 | 23 | Alex Kennedy | R3 Motorsports | 09 Chevy | Robert Richardson |
| 17 | 24 | Eric McClure | Hefty Odor Block | 09 Ford | Ed Rensi |
| 18 | 26 | Brian Keselowski | K- Automotive | 10 Dodge | Bob Keselowski |
| 19 | 27 | Nelson Piquet | TBA | 10 Ford | Mike Curb |
| 20 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Federated Auto Parts | 10 Chevy | Jay Robinson |
| 21 | 32 | Jacques Villeneuve | Dollar General Stores | 08 Toyota | Todd Braun |
| 22 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Jimmy John's | 10 Chevy | Delana Harvick |
| 23 | 34 | Tony Raines | Long John Silvers | 10 Chevy | Bob Jenkins |
| 24 | 35 | Tony Ave | TBA | 10 Chevy | Mark Smith |
| 25 | 36 | Kevin Hamlin | TBA | 10 Chevy | Mark Smith |
| 26 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Great Clips | 08 Toyota | Ralph Braun |
| 27 | 40 | Mike Bliss | TBA | 10 Chevy | Curtis Key Sr |
| 28 | 43 | Brad Baker | TBA | 10 Ford | Mike Curb |
| 29 | 47 | Marcos Ambrose | Kwik Fill-Red Apple-Zippo | 10 Toyota | Jodi Geschickter |
| 30 | 59 | Kyle Kelley | UPR.com-Apex-A 1 Certified Solar | 08 Chevy | Bob Kelley |
| 31 | 60 | Carl Edwards | FASTENAL | 10 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 32 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point Casino and Hotel | 10 Toyota | Rusty Wallace |
| 33 | 66 | Steve Wallace | 5 Hour Energy | 10 Toyota | Rusty Wallace |
| 34 | 70 | Mark Green | InternationalTrucks.com | 10 Chevy | Mary Louise Miller |
| 35 | 81 | Michael McDowell | unkown | 10 Dodge | Pat MacDonald |
| 36 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | TBA | 09 Chevy | Andrea Nemechek |
| 37 | 88 | Ron Fellows | GT Vodka | 10 Chevy | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 38 | 89 | Johnny Chapman | Victory in Jesus Racing | 10 Chevy | Cindy Shepherd |
| 39 | 92 | Dan Brode | K-Automotive | 10 Dodge | Brian Keselowski |
| 40 | 98 | Paul Menard | CERTAINTEED WINDOWS/MENARDS | 10 Ford | Jack Roush |
| 41 | 99 | Trevor Bayne | OUT! Pet Care | 10 Toyota | Michael Waltrip |
Late Entry. No driver or owner points awarded
| 42 | 82 | Matt Carter | TBA | 10 Dodge | Pat MacDonald |
Late Entry. No driver or owner points awarded
| 43 | 61 | TBA | TBA | 10 Ford | Specialty Racing |
Last year 49 cars entered the Zippo 200. Not a pretty sight. Just goes to show you how much the economy has affected Nascar.
Marcos Ambrose has won the last two races at Watkins Glen. Can he win 3 in a row? The last Nationwide Driver to win 3 Watkins Glen races in a row was Terry Labonte. He’s the only one to do it. Labonte won in 94, 95 and 96. His first two wins came in the 14 Chevy which he owned. His third win came in the 5 Chevy which he owned too. He finished 5th in 97 to end the streak.
Ryan Newman returns again in the James Finch #1 Chevy. It’s been off and on with this team after Miccosukee pulled sponsorship before Daytona.
Victor Gonzalez returns to the #05 this week.
Billy Johnson will make his first Nationwide Race driving the #6 Ford for Roush Fenway.
JR Fitzpatrick, a NASCAR Canadian Tire Series star, returns to the #7 Chevy for JR Motorsports.
Boris Said returns to RAB Racing this week. Last year Said drove the #09 Ford at Watkins Glen and Montreal.
Alex Kennedy again makes a start in the #23 Chevy.
Nelson Piquet Jr will make his Nationwide Debut this week in the Baker Curb #27 Ford. Keep an eye on Piquet, he’s better than you’d think.
Villaneuve will try to put the #32 in victory lane. Earlier this year he almost won Elkart Lake. He’s the favorite this weekend.
Tony Ave will pilot the #35 Chevy. The team needs a good finish, since it’s very close to falling outside the top 30 in points.
Kyle Kelley’s team returns this week.
Ron Fellows returns to the #88 Chevy for JR Motorsports. Both Fellows and Fitzpatrick ran well at Elkhart Lake.
Dan Brode will make his Nationwide Debut. It’s gonna be over before it starts. He’s in the Start and Park #92 team.
Matt Carter will race a second entry for MacDonald Motorsports. The #61 team also entered, but no driver was named since Carter is normally the driver. Both teams are late entries to fill the field of 43, so neither will get points. They will most likely start and park.
That’s all the time we have for this week. Tune in Saturday to ESPN at 1:30 pm eastern for the Zippo 200 from Watkins Glen, NY! Enjoy!
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