Notes: NASCAR, Mexico combine int'l style and flair (cont'd)

Opportunity for redemption

Last year, Scott Pruett looked to be on his way to a win from the pole in Mexico City.

He was leading with 10 laps to go until a bump-and-run -- road-course style -- from his teammate, Juan Montoya, took him out of contention and relegated him to a fifth-place finish (watch video).

In 2006, hometown favorite Jourdain was leading at Lap 52 of the 80-lap event when he spun after contact with Busch. Jourdain finished well off the pace in 38th. Busch finished seventh.

All but Montoya will be at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday, creating the potential for plenty of drama.

Boris Said celebrated his pole in an unusual way in 2006.

In the Loop: Ambrose's slump-shaker

On paper -- or more specifically, the stat sheet -- Mexico City looks like the perfect place for Marcos Ambrose to straighten out his 2008 season.

After a promising 2007 rookie campaign that saw a top-five and six top-10s, the Aussie has struggled thus far in 2008. Ambrose's best finish is 11th at Atlanta, the only top-15 result of his year.

But this weekend's road course may cure all ills. A road-course ace, Ambrose excelled at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last season. In his eighth-place finish, he scored a Driver Rating of 104.6, an Average Running Position of 10.5, 36 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green) and ran 80.5 percent of the laps in the top 15.

Another angle to watch is Carl Edwards versus Clint Bowyer (No. 2 Chevrolet) -- again. The points leader (Bowyer) and the second-place driver (Edwards) have been neck-and-neck all season long, and the battle should continue internationally.

In his three Mexico City races, Edwards has racked up some outstanding stats. He has a Driver Rating of 101.0, an Average Running Position of 11.0 and has run 76.0 percent of the laps in the top 15.

Trailing Edwards in most stat categories, Bowyer has a Driver Rating of 87.3, an Average Running Position of 15.1 and has run 60.6 percent of the laps among the top 15 at Mexico City.

Then, as usual, there is Kyle Busch. Busch, winner of two consecutive Nationwide Series races, finished seventh at Mexico City in 2006 -- his only start at the historic track. In that race, he earned a Driver Rating of 110.0, an Average Running Position of 11.8 and 11 Fastest Laps Run.

One other note of interest: Only seven drivers have notched a fastest lap in the 159 circuits run at the 2.518-mile track. And only two of them are entered this weekend -- Busch and second-year driver Brad Coleman.

ESPN has coverage of Corona Mexico 200

ESPN will have live, flag-to-flag coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday with NASCAR Countdown. The green flag is set for 2:22 p.m. ET. The race will be simulcast on ESPN Deportes, the domestic Spanish-language network.

Three-time NASCAR champion crew chief Ray Evernham will make his first appearance of the season in the ESPN booth as analyst on the telecast, joined by fellow analyst Rusty Wallace and lead announcer Dr. Jerry Punch. Dave Burns, Mike Massaro and Vince Welch will report from the pits.

ESPN2 will have live coverage of final practice from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez at 4 p.m. ET Friday, and live coverage of qualifying at 11:30 a.m. ET Saturday.

The Director's Take: Brake Set-Up Crucial For Mexico City Race

The NASCAR Nationwide Series returns to Mexico City with plenty of anticipation for the drivers and crews that participate.

NNS, Etc.

• Mexico is shaping up to be a father/son outing for the Barretts. Stanton Barrett (No. 30 Chevrolet) and his father, Stan (No. 31 Chevrolet), 64, are entered in the event. Stan Barrett was the first man to exceed the speed of sound in a ground vehicle, reaching 739.666 mph in 1979. He started 19 races in Cup competition from 1980-90 with two top-10 finishes. His son has more than 150 Nationwide starts and has competed in two previous races in Mexico City. Both are accomplished stuntmen and are credited with roles in some of Hollywood's top action movies.

• This year's race will feature its fourth different winner, but two drivers have a chance to repeat as pole winners. Boris Said won the pole in 2006 while Scott Pruett is the defending pole winner. Previous winners were Martin Truex Jr. (2005), Denny Hamlin (2006) and Juan Montoya (2007).

• Chris Cook (No. 90 Chevrolet) has a chance to put his driving instruction skills on the line in Mexico City. He owns "Shift Into Gear," a driver coaching and testing company, but will try to compete in his third Nationwide Series race in Mexico and his eighth series road-course event overall. Cook has assisted drivers such as two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart with their road-course skills.