Road course ringers ready for action

The NASCAR Sprint Cup heads to the first of its two annual road course venues this weekend, and that could mean that Sears Point throws up a surprise winner.

While Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have proved untouchable on the ovals recently, neither has triumphed on a road course in top level competition.

Nor for that matter, have Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr or Carl Edwards. In fact, with the exception of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, who have 16 road course wins between them, none of the traditional big-hitters have much in the way of form away from the ovals.

Two men that should grasp their opportunity to win with both hands are Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose.

Montoya, whose lone Sprint Cup win came at Sears Point in 2007 made him the first non-American to win in NASCAR's top division, has had a rollercoaster season so far.

His pace has been worth more than his 20th place in the standings and 22nd in the Castrol Rankings, but Sears has been good to him in the past and he has never finished outside the top six there.

Ambrose's road course record is equally impressive, as you might expect from a two-time Australian V8 Supercar Champion. Wins in successive years in Nationwide competition at Watkins Glen, and has finished three of his four Sprint Cup events on road courses in the top five.

He has slipped to 68th in the Castrol Rankings - 13 places lower than he managed last year. He'll never have a better chance to make up lost ground though.

One constant factor with NASCAR road course events is the presence of 'ringers'; experienced sportscar or single-seater racers brought in specifically to take a victory for one of the big brands.

This year's star pair are ex-Formula 1 racer Jan Magnussen and two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom; both aiming to become the first European to win a Sprint Cup race.

Magnussen, who has tested a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the past, will turn out for the Ubersquad's second team, Phoenix Motorsport.

The Dane lies 303rd in the Castrol Rankings after a Le Mans-induced 49 place drop this week. However, he has bags of experience at Sears, having won there outright in the American Le Mans Series in a Panoz previously.

His years in Corvette machinery should make him a contender in the heavy, rear-wheel drive Impala, but one thing could count against him:

That variable is the California weather. If qualifying is rained out, then Magnussen will not make the grid, as only the top 35 cars in owner points - plus drivers with provisional starting spots, will make the final 43.

This is not something that will affect Ekstrom though. The number 82 Red Bull Toyota he is driving has a guaranteed starting spot thanks to the efforts of Brian Vickers and Casey Mears this season.

Ekstrom's regular DTM ride, an Abt Audi A4, is very different to the Camry he will pilot this weekend, but the Swede has proven his adaptability by winning the Race of Champions three times.

At 72nd in the Castrol Rankings, he sits higher up than half his opponents. He should fit in just fine.