Surprising Teammates Face Crucial Test

Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Infineon Raceway could very well make or break the season of two underrated drivers who are teammates by virtually all definitions of the word.

Marcos Ambrose, who drives for JTG-Daugherty Racing, essentially a satellite of Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR), and David Reutimann, who won his first Cup race for MWR last month at Lowe's Motor Speedway, are two humble and subdued drivers making a lot of noise on the track this year. But the road course in Sonoma, Calif., could mean totally different things to the duo.

The fact we're even talking about these guys now is a story in and of itself. With 15 races in the 2009 history books, Tony Stewart leading the championship points in his first year as a driver/owner is probably the biggest surprise of the season, but Reutimann sitting 13th in points, three out of the 12th and final spot to make the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, and Ambrose 20th, despite losing a couple of spots last weekend at Michigan, rank right up there. Their marked improvement is a testament to the obvious turnaround in Waltrip's organization, which holds close ties to JTG-Daugherty Racing and builds many of Ambrose's race cars.

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Reutimann's ride wasn't even guaranteed in the preseason because sponsorship wasn't confirmed for the entire year. However, Waltrip told Aaron's that Reutimann would win a race, and therefore, the sponsor should hop on board every week to ensure they were the ones in Victory Lane. As goofy as Waltrip can be, he was dead on the money. Although the Coke 600 was a rain-shortened event, Reutimann has run up front and knocked off some impressive finishes this year, putting him in position for a win enough times that his turn finally came.

Ambrose, the jovial Australian, has caught many teams off-guard by leading the likes of Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick in the point standings, and I'm willing to bet he will outperform many more this weekend. Ambrose has deep roots in road course racing - he won the Australian V8 Supercar Series championship in 2003 and 2004, as well as 11 of 26 races in 2004 and nine of 22 in 2003. He made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford last year at Sonoma, where he qualified seventh, and was the fastest in final practice and spent a good portion of the race in the top 10. However, transmission problems plagued Ambrose late in the race and relegated him to a 42nd-place finish.

Now that he has a full-time ride in the No. 47 Toyota, I wouldn't be shocked to see him pull into Victory Lane at Sonoma. Guys like Jeff Gordon, Robby Gordon and Tony Stewart are always expected to dominate the road courses but Ambrose is as talented as any of them.

On the other hand, Sonoma could prove to be the Achilles heel in Reutimann's quest to make the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup. Reutimann doesn't have much road-course experience and could use a few pointers from his Aussie counterpart.

In discussing the resurgence of Michael Waltrip Racing, we can't overlook the sub-par performance of owner Waltrip in the No. 55 Toyota. He told me he has conflicted emotions that pull him between his passion for driving and the possibility he may need to climb out of the car because he's not producing on the track. Waltrip has already announced he is stepping aside this weekend and tapping Patrick Carpentier to pilot his car.

In the meantime, Reutimann and Ambrose carry the banner for the team, although neither fit the typical mold and stereotype of a marketable NASCAR driver. The business model in recent years has been to put a 20-year-old kid like Joey Logano in the car and turn him loose.

Both men are in their 30s and don't look like a marketer's dream but are so self-deprecating and down-to-earth that they quickly have endeared themselves to many fans. Ambrose, who literally came to America from Australia on his honeymoon because he wanted to compete in NASCAR, and Reutimann have no agendas and are truly thrilled and grateful for the opportunity they currently have. And that's among the most refreshing and impressive things I've seen in this sport in a long time.

Steve Byrnes is the host of Trackside Live, NASCAR Live and This Week in NASCAR on SPEED, in addition to his duties as a pit reporter for FOX Sports. A NASCAR broadcaster for nearly 25 years, Byrnes also hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying broadcasts, as well as the NASCAR Nationwide Series sessions. He broke into NASCAR broadcasting in 1985 as the host of Inside NASCAR on TNN and went on to host Darrell Waltrip's Racers on TNN, among numerous other programs. Byrnes also has served as a play-by-play announcer in the NFL. For more information about Byrnes or to access the NASCAR on SPEED programming schedule, please visit www.speedtv.com.