Monday, March 28th 'What If' Question

When Juan Pablo Montoya announced he was leaving the open wheel division of racing for the challenge of competing in NASCAR it brought excitement on many levels.

Montoya is a diverse driver who has won in nearly everything that he's sat in. Coming to NASCAR would move him from the winners circle of the Indianapolis 500 to a stock car with roll bars and being the rookie. Speculations and predictions ran wild about what Montoya could accomplish in the NASCAR world and many pointed to previous open wheel defect, Tony Stewart, as example of the best case scenario.

Stewart left open wheel came to NASCAR and has become a two-time champion. He's another driver that is called diverse and able to win in whatever he sits in. For Montoya when he arrived in NASCAR in 2007 he quickly found victory lane ... at a road course. While winning any race in NASCAR is accomplishment many weren't surprised that it came on a type of track that Montoya is most comfortable with.

He's even won a Nationwide Series race ... on a road course.

Since then though the Columbian driver has had so many close but no cigar moments on ovals. He's dominated the Brickyard 400 the last two years only to take himself out of the race late in the going. He even qualified for the Chase for the Championship in 2009 and has pulled off numerous top five finishes but no wins.

He's even won poles like just this past weekend at the Auto Club Speedway.

Some of his best career finishes though have come at tracks like New Hampshire, Dover, Kansas and Talladega, thus proving that he can be competitive and win in this sport.

In 2010 he finally found victory lane again ... but again it was on the road course of Watkins Glen. The oval win still alludes him and Montoya is is getting frustrated. He knows what his No. 42 Target team is capable of they just haven't been able to seal the deal. The day is coming though as many believe.

But ...

What if Juan Pablo Montoya never puts an oval win on his resume, will his career be thought of as incomplete or unsuccessful? #NASCAR

@jester_3: no. Every driver has their venue. Will Mark Martin's career be a failure if he never wins the Daytona 500 or the Sprint Cup?

@animefan89: It won't be a success if he can't win a race in nascar on an oval needs to show he is the all-around driver.

@Emily_488: If he wins more, even if it's not oval wins, he would be successful. He'll only be unsuccessful if he doesn't win more.

@nathanmedic: Montoya must have multiple oval wins to be successful in his NASCAR career - just like any other NASCAR driver.

@dhammis: his career will be successful, but his NASCAR experience will not.

@ladybug388: A bit of both as incomplete due to missing it, but unsuccessful due to that lack of accomplishment with championship

@cruetten: incomplete, yes. unsuccessful, no. regardless of where he won, he is a two-time race winner in the cup series.

@weizdawg: if he never wins on a oval i believe so unless if he wins a title other then that yes he should win on one right

Jose L Acero (via Facebook) I wouldn't call unsuccesful because he has a couple of road course wins. Incomplete would be more fitting but I do see an oval win in his near future. Good question, Kelly!

Monday, November 1st 'What If' Question

The last few restrictor plate races have come down to a last lap pass: Matt Kenseth taking the lead of the 2009 Daytona 500 before the rain came 45 seconds later. Kevin Harvick on Jamie McMurray at Talladega in the spring of 2010. Harvick on teammate Clint Bowyer at Daytona in July.

This past Sunday at Talladega it looked like that could be the case again as teammates Bowyer and Harvick were side by side heading to the white flag. Juan Pablo Montoya was pushing Bowyer and David Reutimann was pushing Harvick. When they hit turn one however, 'The Big One' hit the track when Tony Stewart and a few others started spinning and AJ Allmendinger went flipping.

Since the white flag had been displayed, the race was official and the only question remained was who would be declared the winner. Boywer started celebrating as Harvick looked on and waited for the official word. About 5-10 minutes after the race was over, NASCAR finally announced that it was Clint Boywer and his No. 33 that was ahead of Harvick when the caution came out.

Boywer won his second race of the 2010 season and second in the Chase. He did so with interim crew chief Scott Miller who was atop the box for the suspended Shane Wilson. After their winning car failed inspection in New Hampshire, Wilson was given a mandatory four week vacation by NASCAR. The win was the fourth of Bowyer's career.

But ...

What if 'The Big One' didn't happen & leaders finished the race under green. Who wins: Bowyer, Montoya or Harvick, Reutimann?

@shanbedd Montoya!!

@mbauerherzog I think it would have been Harvick.

@nwnscrfan Bowyer probably. Harvick's car wasn't quite as fast after the damage as it was before & Bowyer had the inside (faster).

@RedChevy14 The 42. 00 woulda left the 29 too early, 33 woulda been a sitting duck.

@Talon64 JPM and Reutimann make their move to try and win on front stretch, all 4 wreck and Joey Logano wins!

@cruetten harvick for sure

@chuckallen2 Michael Waltrip.

@StrokerAce90 This one fired up Lugs Harvey. He says Harvick because he's a Plate Racer & a Wheelman. Haps 2.75 avg finish in 2010 says so.