Look for Gordon to bounce back at Indy

To say Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a special place is a bit of an understatement. The history and tradition of Indianapolis is unlike anywhere else.

	Wally Dallenbach

I don't care how many times you've been there, when you drive into Indy you can't help but get goosebumps. It's the Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Lambeau Field of auto racing.

It's really hard to believe NASCAR has been coming to the Brickyard for ten years now. Next to the Daytona 500, Indianapolis has grown to be the premier race on the schedule.

How can you argue with nearly 300,000 fans and one of the largest purses on the series?

Bringing NASCAR to Indianapolis was really a stroke of genius by Bill France and Tony George who knew ten years ago how popular the sport would be and how big this race could get.

It's interesting that Indianapolis comes one week after Pocono because the tracks are so similar.

Big and flat are the similarities between the two tracks and you'll se a lot of guys use the same set-up this week as they did last. Indy is a lot narrower than Pocono especially down the front straight.

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But you have to approach the two pretty much in the same way and be very smooth through the corners.

You want to get down to the bottom of the race track through the corners and let the car float up to the high side as you exit turn two and turn four to get down the straightaways.

That's when you need horsepower to outrun everyone down the long backstretch or main straight.

The Pocono variable is interesting at Indy in that six of the drivers who have won the Brickyard 400 have combined for 17 career Pocono wins.

	Matt Kenseth

That should tell you something about the similarities between the two tracks and how a smooth driving style is key to winning.

Bill Elliott won Pocono and Indy back-to-back last season with two patient and smooth efforts.

I'd have to put Ryan Newman in the favorite category on Sunday, which would make it the second year in a row someone did the Pocono-Indy sweep.

His fourth win last weekend was another example of how much this team is on its game and with a home state crowd cheering him on, Newman may very well celebrate win number five on Sunday.

Jeff Gordon is a three-time Brickyard 400 winner and comes into the weekend off a disappointing 36th place finish at Pocono.

Gordon was caught up in a chain-reaction crash at Pocono and the result knocked him to third in the point standings. I expect that team to be very fired up this weekend and bounce back in a big way.

	Jeff Gordon

Point leader Matt Kenseth didn't enjoy his first two visits to Indianapolis in 2000 and 2001, when he finished 26th and 42nd respectively.

But a solid third place run last year should give the team confidence coming into Sunday's race and Kenseth's smooth driving style certainly fits the Brickyard.

I'd also watch Jimmie Johnson this weekend. Some pit miscues screwed him up at Pocono last week but until then, he was solid again.

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