No Surprises at Indianapolis...For Now

July 25, 2010 will mark the 17th running of the Brickyard 400 at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. What two drivers share the front row? The two newest fathers—and the same two guys who stole the show last year.

There are quite a few storylines that could play out before our very eyes. Probably the most notable of them is the quest that Jimmie Johnson finds himself facing during the sweltering summer. Can he join legendary drivers such as Jeff Gordon, A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves, and Al Unser as the only four-time winners at the Speedway?

Not only is Johnson chasing those names, but his doing so might set himself up for an even larger achievement down the road. In each of Johnson’s wins at the Brickyard, he has gone on to win the Championship the same year.

Taking a look at some of the other notable drivers coming into this week’s race, there will definitely be plenty of competition for Jimmie.

Last year Juan Montoya led 116 of the first 125 laps, completely dominating the field in Indy. His final pit stop proved to be fatal however, as he was clocked over 60 mph, five mph over the pit road limit. The 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner suffered the setback and was able to come home in 11th place in what he says was his most disappointing race of his career. Not only was he ready to take the win last year, but he also managed a second-place finish in 2007.

While Montoya will most likely be Jimmie’s toughest competition, there are plenty of other drivers out there ready to take the top spot. Kevin Harvick is having an outstanding season, and in the last 10 races here, he has recorded five top-10 finishes, including a win in 2003. Kevin has one of the best average finishes at the Speedway over the last decade.

When thinking about Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the hometown boys come to mind. Jeff Gordon’s success here is well documented as is Tony Stewart’s. Gordon has the best overall average finish among all drivers at the track over the last decade with an average finish of 8.6. He hasn’t won here since 2004, but don’t think for a second that he doesn’t know his way around the track. Since 2000, Jeff has only finished outside of the top 10 once.

Tony is another hometown favorite is right behind Jeff in average finish and has won in 2005 and 2007. He finished third last year. Tony may be the fan favorite of the locals in Indy, and why not? His knowledge and experience of this track along with the equipment that works (Chevrolet, Newman starting 5th) could provide another kissing of the bricks for Tony and Co.

The other hometown driver may not have the same success as Tony and Jeff. Ryan Newman has had some miserable races here at Indy, and he doesn’t shy away from that fact. Although the last two years he has finished in 13th and 14th, everything before that has been a nightmare. In fact, his average finish for the last decade at the speedway is 21.4—one of the worst among active drivers. He had some tough luck last year, and with another year in his new ride, he should be ready to improve.

Newman isn’t alone when it comes to bad finishes at Indianapolis, however. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kyle Busch have also experienced some bad days here, last year in particular. Both drivers had solid runs going before situations outside of their control forced them out of the race.

Last year, Dale finished 36th after suffering a blow engine after running in the top five most of the day, and Kyle finished 38th after a tire problem early. Kyle has actually had good runs in his previous races here; he was just snakebitten last year after he cut his tire down. Kyle has recorded three top-10 finishes here in his five starts.

Unfortunately the same story is not so true for Earnhardt, Jr. In the past decade here, his average finishing position is a gloomy 21.7, one of the worst out there. He has only two top-10 finishes in those ten races and has finished 34th or worse three times. If Dale wants to continue to make a push to get back into The Chase, he is going to need to turn it around here this weekend.

The surprising winner of the last race, David Reutimann, had himself an eighth place finish here last year, and seems to be riding a big wave of momentum. He accomplished something great two weeks ago, now trying to win back-to-back races (and at Indy no less) will prove to be his toughest challenge yet.

So the question everyone around the garage area is asking is, “Is Jimmie beatable here?” The answer may surprise you. When you look at the eight races that Jimmie Johnson has run at this track, his average finishing position is a mere 17.9, and that’s including his three wins.

If you take out the three wins, what is his average finishing position for the other five races? The answer is 28th place. He had a ninth place finish in 2002, followed by 18th the following year. In 2004 he came home in 36th, and even worse the next year in 2005 when he finished 38th. Throw in a 39th place finish in 2007 and there you have your answer. Jimmie is beatable here, and there is plenty of competition throughout the garage area that is just waiting for the green flag to drop.

Juan Montoya will be starting tomorrow’s race on the pole, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone. He has started first or second three times in a stock car at Indy. He is looking to become the first driver to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. If he can complete the mission on Sunday, he will also give team owner Chip Ganassi the triple crown of racing: winning the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and Brickyard 400 all in the same year, which has never been done before.

A few surprising notes from Saturday’s qualifying at the speedway:

Mark Martin and Ryan Newman will both be starting the race from the top five, while Mr. Ganassi will have his two cars in the top five, including the pole of course. Clint Bowyer qualifying sixth has also turned some heads around the garage area. RCR continues its fantastic season, with Harvick and Burton both starting from the top ten.

Casey Mears, J.J. Yeley, David Stremme, and David Gilliland all failed to qualify for the 17th running of the Brickyard 400. It should also be noted, nine of the ten cars starting in the top ten, are Chevrolets.

The 2010 Brickyard 400 is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. EST on ESPN.