The road race season begins this week in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. The season consists of only two races, this week at Sonoma and next month in Watkins Glen. However, those two races are a huge change of pace and a welcome sight after watching a few of the same drivers winning every week in races that require similar set ups.

I am definitely in the minority being someone who actually likes the road courses, or at least I was. Many long time NASCAR fans despise the road courses citing that the roads and right turns take away the spirit and very embodiment that makes NASCAR different from the other motor sports. I can understand that point of view, but intruding on one-eighteenth of the season schedule with some diversity shouldn’t make too many grumble, should it?

 Other than seeing a track layout completely different than what we normally see, my favorite reason for enjoying the road courses is to watch some of the Cup regulars struggle. I’m not a negative person and don’t take delight in others misery, but watching some of the best drivers in the world struggle at their craft is somewhat entertaining. Watching a road course specialist take over a car from a lowly financed team and finish better than the corporate mega-racing teams, now that is fun to watch!

What other races do we have on the circuit where David has a chance to slay Goliath? Every once in a while a few decades ago there used to be a place for the low budget cars where we would see an occasional win. Then, almost like what Wal-Mart has done to the Ma and Pa stores in America, The multi-car teams wiped out the little man and their chances to do well in races.

I’m attempting to get you all somehow excited for this race because many don’t like it. This race is all about the driver and less about the car, a ratio that is not comparable to on any other track. Most the time the driver just mashes the pedal and lets the corporate multi-tested horsepower do the work for them. Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and Kasey Kahne are fine drivers, buts it’s less about them than it is having such a great research staff, crew and car.

Now, I’ve given you the possibilities and what I believe, or want to believe, but here are the facts. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart win just about every road course race. They have taken all their high financed equipment and parlayed that with their exceptional road racing skills to dominate everyone. We have seen a few drivers step up like Juan Pablo Montoya last year at Sonoma and Kevin Harvick the year before at Watkins Glen, and even Robby Gordon has won a couple during the Gordon/Stewart reign, but that’s about it of late.

So I guess I’ll detract some things I mentioned and clarify by saying there are more possibilities on a road course for someone else to contend. Whether its been fuel mileage or sequence of pitting, there are several instances of lower tiered drivers, or some of the hired assassins, being in contention for a win while beating several of the top name drivers in NASCAR. I love that part of it, simply for the reason of pure possibilities. Road course events in NASCAR are definitely a pleasant change.

Enough rambling, who is going to win? It used to be Jeff Gordon would be the short favorite followed by Tony Stewart and then a bunch of other long shot drivers just because they won all the time. This season there are about seven drivers that have a good shot of winning without having to win by just luck of the pit strategy.

Scott Pruett from Ganassi Racing is the only non-Cup regular who is considered a legitimate candidate to win. Ron Fellows and Boris Said are on the next tier of drivers capable, but Pruett's car gives him the slight edge over the other two quality hired guns. He’ll have good equipment and he’ll also have an edge over most in driving skills, not to mention the track also his considered his home track.

Jeff Gordon still leads the way a co-favorite with 9 career road course Cup wins. Stewart is the other favorite with 6 career road course Cup wins, and having done so more recently than Gordon with a win at Watkins Glen last season. The two have mixed it several times on the roads and on one occasion, Stewart took his shot at punching the road course bully in the mouth. One road race early in Stewart’s career, he raced Gordon hard after only a couple laps and then punted him while battling for position on a straightaway. It was strong message sent and led to a changing of the guard. Gordon had won 7 road races up that point and has only 2 more road wins since. Stewart has literally taken the road course crown and title belt away from Gordon.

Robby Gordon led the most last season in this race and finished 16th after all the late pit strategies. In 2003, Gordon swept the road course races while driving for Richard Childress. The difference over the last couple of years for Gordon and why he hasn’t been able to win since then has been equipment. He is one of the most talented drivers, and because of that, regardless of how terrible the team he owns and drives for is, he is a strong contender. In every race this season Gordon been a huge underdog given little chance to win. For this race, he is a top contender and respected very much. That is the ultimate compliment to his skills that he can so dramatically change perception of his driving ability simply by the course. he is the perfect example o####uy that give hope to the possibilities and just how possible it is for someone in a jalopy to do well.

Juan Pablo Montoya qualified very poorly last season at Sonoma which put him at a huge disadvantage from the start. Once practice started, Montoya unleashed his fury and showcased his skills by running the fastest lap in the final two practice sessions. He still had to come from the back and the furthest anyone had ever come back from to win at Sonoma was 13th. In 15 of the previous 16 Sonoma races, the worst start position was 7th. Montoya was starting 32nd. Impossible! Obviously not for JP who went the last 40 green flag laps conserving fuel throughout and won a smart race.

Hard to go against 24 and 20, but I'll go with with Pruett and Montoya to finish 1-2. And no, I don't think Montoya will feel any remorse for what he did in the Busch race at Mexico City last season. JP would do the same thing again if the opportunity presented itself. I just think Pruett will be smarter and not let him get that close again. 

Side Note: An interesting note regarding this weeks race being held in Sonoma is that 7 current Cup drivers hail from California. That is more than any other state, including great race driver producing states of North Carolina and Virginia, which is definitely a sign that NASCAR has come a long way.

Dale Jr on Fathers Day….Very Cool! The Michigan race last week was one of the better races I’ve seen in a while just because of the tension filled drama late in the race. How Dale Jr was able to last that many laps with the amount of fuel they had is a mystery.

Naturally, me wanting to put more fiction into the scene and read more into it couldn’t help but think about other times I thought some paranormal activity was going on. Was it possible someone was looking after Dale Jr in some way during that Pepsi 400 at Daytona, the first race there after Dale Sr passed away there? Was it possible someone was looking after Junior getting out of his harness straps in the burning corvette during a sports car race he participated in?

I don’t know the answer. It’s fun to speculate, but a 76 race winless streak was a huge #### on his back that has been lifted. Don’t know how it happened, but it did and it’s good for the sport.