It might be the dog days of summer knocking on the door, but the Verizon IndyCar Series is just heating up heading to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. And while the date and time may not be ideal for the Southern California crowd, the racing will be intense on the second leg of the Fuzzy’s Triple Crown.
Here are the four storylines to follow for Saturday’s 2015 MAVTV 500:
Team Penske Dominance Threatened?
By far the most controlling and eye-catching team has been Team Penske, whose consistent chance to be in contention for victories rivals that of Chip Ganassi Racing in past years. However, recent memories of struggles in California abound, especially for defending IndyCar champion Will Power, who has had a love-hate relationship with Fontana. Will Team Penske turn around their past luck this weekend in Cali?
Chevy Remains Strong Out West
There has been and will not be any contest on the manufacturer of the year in IndyCar, as that goes hands down to Team Chevy. Honda has played catch up all season long, and certainly will have to battle once more to do so at Fontana, and it will likely cost the Honda teams any chance of winning, barring some strange circumstances.
CFH Racing Carrying Momentum
Two wins already for the newly merged two car operation and their only full-time driver Josef Newgarden. Now it’s the owner’s turn to take a stab at winning. Ed Carpenter returns to the #20 Fuzzy’s Chevy at Fontana, and he looks to reinvigorate some of that oval magic he held for the past few seasons. Count on Carpenter to be in contention to win on Saturday.
Andretti Woes Continue
Let’s face it, Michael Andretti is not happy with how his Andretti Autosport team has performed this year. Honda is very much to blame for much of these struggles, but Carlos Munoz’s win at Belle Isle proves the team has what it takes to return to victory lane. Can the team muster enough strength though to relive the highflying moments of Ryan Hunter-Reay’s championship at the track? Not likely with the underperforming power plant it seems.
Be sure to tune in and watch the MAVTV 500 from Auto Club Speedway on Saturday at 1 p.m. eastern on NBCSN. Better yet, if you live in Southern California, buy a ticket to the race! It’s sure to be a great afternoon slugfest.
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