Nothing conventional about Sonoma

He's checked Bristol off his list earlier this year, and now has the road course win that's eluded him. So what's left on Jimmie Johnson's list of things to accomplish?

Now, onto the mailbag:

Johnson's win vs. Ambrose's loss

After being at Sonoma and watching one of my favorite drivers fight a David and Goliath fight against JJ only to have it taking away from a series of events that did not even need to happen. I am not going to dwell on the mistake Ambrose made, even though I see no difference between that and adjusting your steering wheel.

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No my problem with NASCAR was as I sit in turn 7 and see Mattias Ekstrom being spun into the dirt exiting the turn, NASCAR instantly throws the caution to bunch the field away and prevent a "boring" finish with Ambrose running away with it for the last 18 laps.

In my mind that then led to the spin of the number 12 (again in front of me) and to the engine issue. But during the last green flag run of JJ leading, both Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards spun (again in front of me) and no caution was thrown, even though Burton came back into the field, where Mattias Ekstrom and Edwards were both off in the dirt.

Just some thoughts from an avid NASCAR fan and critic.

Ryan Smith
Roseville, Calif.

Had the fix been in – and I don't believe it was – but had it been, NASCAR would certainly have been in favor of Ambrose winning, no? He is, after all, a much better story than Johnson winning, ah-gain.

As for how the cautions fell, I didn't have the vantage point that you did, Ryan, as I was sitting in the press box down near Turn 11. That said, if a driver can get his car rolling again, NASCAR doesn't necessarily need to throw a caution. However, if the driver can't get his car rolling, NASCAR must throw a caution, because just sitting in the dirt makes it a hazard even if it's not in the racing groove.

I really like Marcos and I followed him back in his V8 supercar days as well. Shame to see this happen, for sure. But what you didn't mention is that Johnson had Ambrose's measure all day long; 48 passed him twice, and would likely have passed him again. A win was never a sure bet for him, gaffe or no gaffe. 48 was hooked up and Johnson obviously has improved on road courses.

Thomas
California (via Virginia)

Johnson did have Ambrose measured early on, but not in those closing laps. The 48 had tightened up, and Johnson actually radioed to Chad Knaus in those closing laps that he didn't have anything for Ambrose. So, barring a mistake, Ambrose was on his way to victory.

I'd like to extend an apology to Marcos Ambrose on behalf of all NASCAR fans. It wasn't his fault that his car failed to restart when he was trying to conserve fuel. Our collective brainpower was processing one thought: "Please, Marcos, don't do anything stupid so you can beat Jimmie Johnson."

Unfortunately, all that focused mental energy simply created an enormous and unavoidable jinx.

Ed De Ryder
Lakemoor, Il.

Jimmy Johnson has gone on record stating the he feels like he needed to win Bristol and a road course to be a complete driver. After his win at Bristol earlier this year our illustrious Jay Hart predicted that if Johnson followed that up with a road course win this year it would be followed by the raising of 42 white flags.

Let the flag raising begin!

I don't think Johnson is slumping. I think he and Knaus are testing. When the two of them finally decide to dial it in they will once again dominate, just in time for the Chase.

Bill Carswell
Huntsville, Ala.

I don't understand how, after four years of dominating, people still misspell Johnson's first name. It's Jimmie, folks, no 'y'.

I know a lot of people want to give credit for Johnson's success to the equipment he has under him, but come on, he's winning everywhere, including Tony Stewart's dirt race, and while he has four victories this season, his teammates remain winless.

Yeah he has good equipment, but I remember growing up playing tennis against a bunch of kids who'd walk on the court with a bag full of $300 rackets, and some of them stunk.

Does Marcos Ambrose have an equally good chance of winning his first Cup race at Watkins Glen in August as he did at Infineon? I say yes, especially now that he's had his first one taken away by his own (unbelievable) demise.

I think he found himself in a place with 10 laps to go at Infineon that he has been far too unfamiliar with throughout his Cup career – in the lead. He choked!

Need to save fuel, well then do it going downhill, not immediately up towards turn 2.

I know Watkins is Tony's house, period. But if someone is to dethrone Stewart's impeccable record there, it'd be Ambrose. He finished second only to Smoke there last year, while winning the Nationwide race the day before.

I'd just love to see him put this last one behind him, and no better way than a win at this year's Watkins.

Mark
Murfreesboro, Tenn.

I don't root for any driver, but I'd be dishonest if I didn't acknowledge that I will be pulling for Ambrose at Watkins Glen. Talking to him after the race at Sonoma, it was impossible not to feel bad for the guy. Because while Johnson's career is measured by championships, one win would make Ambrose's Cup career.

Ambrose will be among the favorites at The Glen, but there is no guarantee that his team will unload with as good a car as they had at Infineon and no guarantee that he will have as clean a race as he did Sunday. For smaller, lower-budget teams like his, opportunities to win are few and far between, which is why what went down Sunday was so compelling.

Jay, I just don't get it. Both Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch finish poorly at Infineon, yet only lose one spot in the standings. David Reutimann finishes in the top 20 and loses two spots. What gives?

Dean
Oklahoma City, Okla.

Hamlin and Busch had bigger leads on the drivers around them than Reutimann did, and the drivers around Reutimann in the standings, namely Kasey Kahne and Juan Pablo Montoya, had much better finishes than he did.

How many cars does Jeff Gordon get to run into during a race, before NASCAR has a talk with him? His actions on the track today certainly are not anywhere close to what he wants his public image to be.

Don Slomski
Chicago

I don't know what got into Gordon at Infineon, but it was very out of character for him, and he admitted as much after the race, acknowledging that he owed several drivers an apology.

If that were a younger driver, NASCAR might have done something during the race, and certainly would have called him to the hauler afterward. But when you're a four-time champion, you've done plenty to prove that you don't need a talking to. Gordon knows he messed up. He doesn't need NASCAR to tell him that. And no, this isn't favoritism.

Phantom debris

Jay, With all the recent comments and accusations about "phantom" debris, could you clear up the process of those calls? Is there a specific Debris official? Who has the final call to throw a yellow flag? How long does the process take on average?

Obviously big debris is an easy call, but how about the smaller stuff that creates such a buzz on blogs? What are the parameters of debris that result in a yellow flag? Thanks for the research.

Blake
Houston

The calls come from the NASCAR officials who watch the races from the press box above the track. The group is headed by David Hoots (race director), Mike Helton (NASCAR president), Robin Pemberton (VP of competition) and John Darby (Cup Series director), who are all backed by a number of other officials (some of whom are scattered around the track) who have their eyes trained on specific areas of the track.

They all keep in contact via radio communication, with Hoots serving as the "voice of the race," as Helton explained to me earlier this year.

Some calls are easy to make, as you noted, while others take more of an analytical approach. Officials do get feedback from drivers, who might warn them about something on the track. If they spot something but it's not in the racing groove, they won't necessarily call a caution. But

For an explanation straight from the horse's mouth, check out my interview with Helton.

Last call …

Somebody needs to tell Ambrose that cars generally don't coast very far going uphill.

Dave Garnett
Lufkin, Texas