2006 Dodge Save Mart 350 Preview: Twice each season the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars get to test their road racing skills. This weekend the Dodge Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California will test the drivers' ability to turn right.
Road racing is a completely different skill than oval racing. Some drivers are very good at it and some are very bad. There will be many off-track excursions for some drivers and some great skill shown by others.
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: Jimmie Johnson continues to lead over Matt Kenseth.
The real excitement is the battle for tenth.
Last week Greg Biffle battled his way back into the top ten. However road race ace Jeff Gordon is just eleven points behind and could bump his way into the top ten this week.
The current top ten in points are:
- Jimmie Johnson -0
- Matt Kenseth -74
- Kasey Kahne -244
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -275
- Mark Martin -306
- Tony Stewart -367
- Jeff Burton -407
- Kevin Harvick -446
- Denny Hamlin -486
- Greg Biffle -488
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 Scott Pruett 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: FOX Sunday, June 25th, 3:00PM Eastern.
Radio: PRN and XM Satellite
Actual Race: 3:40PM Eastern
Posted Awards: $5,371,771
Last Year: Last year Jeff Gordon sat on the pole and had the early lead. But Chevrolet was plagued by transmission troubles and Jeff Gordon was one of the unlucky ones.
At the end Ricky Rudd stayed out on old tires to take the lead late in the race. But he was no match for Tony Stewart on fresh tires. Tony got around him with 11 laps to go and checked out.
Predictions: When it comes to road racing one name immediately pops out. Jeff Gordon has to be considered the favorite this weekend over Tony Stewart. Tony won here in 2005, but Jeff Gordon would have been a factor if not for mechanical troubles. I'm sticking with Gordon for my top pick.
For my backup I'm going with a ringer. Boris Said has been close to winning in the past. He is one of the best road racers in the country and he is trying hard to catch a full-time NEXTEL Cup ride. Another strong showing in Sonoma could help propel him into a regular NASCAR ride. He has the tools. If Boris can catch a break on Sunday he might well score his first NASCAR victory.
