2007 Toyota Save Mart 350 Preview:
This weekend the Toyota Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California will test NASCAR's finest drivers' ability to turn right. One of only two road courses on the NEXTEL Cup schedule Infineon Raceway is twisty, hilly and narrow. This race provides a unique challenge for NASCAR's stars.
Tickets:
Speedway ticket office 1.800.870.RACE
Buy online from TicketsNow (direct link)
The Track:
Originally built in 1968 as a 2.52 mile road course the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup drivers now use a 1.99-mile portion of the road course with dramatic elevation changes over the course of a lap as the track winds up and down the California countryside.
Race Distance:
110 laps = 218 miles (350 kilometers)
The Big Picture:
Jeff Gordon continued his amazing season with another top ten finish last week. Now he returns to Infineon Raceway where he has dominated since scoring his first road course victory there in 1998.
In the battle for The Chase Mark Martin was bumped out of the top twelve last week by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The top twelve:
- Jeff Gordon -0
- Denny Hamlin -264
- Jimmie Johnson -337
- Matt Kenseth -348
- Jeff Burton -473
- Carl Edwards -487
- Tony Stewart -489
- Kevin Harvick -598
- Clint Bowyer -618
- Martin Truex Jr. -620
- Kyle Busch -629
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -701
Storylines:
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup road racing brings out the ringers. Road racing experts from other racing series get one-shot rides to perform their road racing magic in NEXTEL Cup. Drivers like Boris Said, Ron Fellows and P.J. Jones get the chance to show off their skills against NASCAR's best.
Will this be the year that a ringer wins at Infineon Raceway? Or do the NEXTEL Cup regulars have too much of an advantage?
Media Coverage:
TV: TNT Sunday, June 24th, 3:30PM Eastern.
Radio: PRN and SIRIUS Satellite
Actual Race: 5:00PM Eastern
Posted Awards:
$5,477,835
Last Year:
Last year Jeff Gordon's team got him off of pit road first during the final round of pit stops. He maintained almost two seconds over Ryan Newman among the cars that pitted. However, Terry Labonte stayed out and took a massive lead over the field.
Jeff Gordon was able to run him down with his fresher tires and got past Terry for the win over Ryan Newman. Labonte held on to finish third.
Predictions:
When it comes to road racing one name immediately comes to mind. Jeff Gordon has to be considered the favorite this weekend. Gordon has won at Infineon Raceway five times in the last nine years. Considering the great year he has been having in 2007 there is no reason to think that this weekend won't be his sixth Save Mart 350 victory.
My backup pick this week is a name that doesn't normally come to mind when you mention road racing aces. Ryan Newman was impressive here in 2006. Newman started in the second row last year. At the end of the race he was still in position and followed Jeff Gordon to the checkered flag. Newman finished second. If Jeff Gordon has a problem on Sunday Newman could be the man that inherits the victory.
