Thursday, January 7, 2010
The new year is here, and with it, a new race season is almost upon us
It's hard to believe both Daytona (NASCAR ) and Pomona (NHRA) are right around the corner, as well as the 2010 Big O Tires Racing Season at Infineon Raceway.
We've got great things planned for 2010, most notably, continuing our efforts to bring race fans closer than ever before to their favorite racers. Last year, we offered ticket packages that included access to stars like Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, John Force, Ashley Force Hood and Dario Franchitti.
We'll continue that trend in 2010! Be sure and check out the Kasey's Korner ticket package: two great seats to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in June in Turn 9, dubbed Kasey's Korner, plus access to a Q&A with Kahne in April. We've also secured both John Force and Ashley Force Hood for a second straight year at our NHRA event.
Stay tuned to our Web-site for announcements soon regarding other driver ticket packages, including access to four-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson.
We also want to make sure you're aware of our all-new Track Pass. It's your one-way ticket to all-access at Infineon Raceway in 2010. It includes a FREE NASCAR Pre-Race Pit & Track Pass, FREE Garage Pass at IndyCar, VIP Parking for the entire season, a "hot lap"around our road course, plus tickets to all of our big events. It's a great offer! Call 800-870-RACE for details.
We'll kick things off at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, Feb. 14 with our 2nd annual Daytona 500 Party at Stars Recreation Center (www.starsrecreation.com) in Vacaville. There will be giveaways, an appearance by the Infineon Raceway girls and more! Plus, you'll get to watch the Daytona 500 on Stars' massive big screen. The best part is admission is FREE. Stay tuned for more details.
Get ready to buckle-up for another great season in Sonoma and remember to Think Outside The Oval.
The Rant
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Is there anything better than a smiling Helio Castroneves?
The Rant recently got to spend some quality time with the three-time Indy 500 champion during a Media Tour through San Francisco in advance of the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. That's the one thing we noticed about the native of Brazil: he is always smiling.
He missed his flight to SF because of customs problems in Canada, but still arrived with a big smile and spent the day meeting with different media outlets, including FOX, CBS and Comcast Sports Net Bay Area. He ended the day with dinner with a reporter from the SF Chronicle at Ozuma, a great restaurant in the City.
All the while, he was smiling, shaking hands, telling jokes and just having a good time. Whether it was questions about racing, Dancing With The Stars or his highly-publicized legal problems, he was in good spirits.
He even showed his humble side as we were leaving the TV studio at Comcast Sports Net Bay Area. Two fans were waiting outside the parking garage - how they knew where we were, I don't know. Helio was genuinely touched that two fans would wait for him after this TV appearance. He told us to stop the car so he could spend a few minutes with them and sign their pictures. Real good stuff.
He's the defending champion of the Sonoma race and one can't help but remember him jumping into the main grandstand last year and hugging all the race fans after taking the checkers. You just don't see that every day.
Helio is a guy that truly enjoys life. We should all be so fortunate!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Pro Stock winner Jason Line (seen here)is best buds with teammate Greg Anderson.
Photo: NHRA
The NHRA has its Countdown to 10, well here are 10 memorable moments to the 22nd annual FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Racway last weekend.
10) No Joy in Win-ville
How about facing your own pops in the first round? Kurt Johnson (ACDelco Chevy Cobalt) just edged his old man Warren (Pontiac GXP) in Pro Stocks. Their elapsed times were almost identical (6.626 to 6.627) but the kid had a better reaction time (.024 to .051) to pull it out. "It's tough beating dad, especially when he needs the points," Kurt said. "Hopefully I can carry the momentum through." Unfortunately for the Johnsons, Kurt ran into Greg Anderson in the quarterfinals and was barely edged at the line. Kurt Johnson ranks eighth in season points and Warren clings to the 10th spot.
9) Competitive Chums I
The competition between Screamin' Eagle Harley Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Ed Krawiec is intense. So is their friendship. The two are one-two in season points and have made the final round of the last three Pro Stock Motorcycle finals. Hines prevailed for the second time on Sunday. Though the two are super competitive - they live two doors down from each other in Indiana and actually race to work - but have a genuine bond. "I wouldn't want any other teammate," Hines said. "We're having a blast."
8) Chums II
Another competitive but heart-felt friendship resides between Summit Racing Pontiac GXP teammates Greg Anderson and Jason Line. The two faced off for the 12th time in a Pro Stock finals and for only the fourth time Line, who celebrated his 40th birthday on Friday, prevailed. He jokingly chalked it up to "Birthday Karma" but later said it was sincerely due to Anderson, his mentor and good pal. "I'd be no where without him the last six-and-half years," Line said. "He's taught me just about everything."
7) Quote of the Weekend
It came from Top Fueler Clay Millican when asked by field announcer Alan Reinhart if he changed his mental approach being the underdog. Millican, the 11th qualifier, defeated No. 6 Shawn Landon in the first round. "I don't have any mental capacity to start with," Millican said.
6) Responding to Critics
As chummy as the Harley duo are, they've had to be extremely tough while facing scrutiny about the legality of their bikes, claiming they have an unfair engine and weight advantage. Hines took on all critics after his win Sunday. "We have met every NHRA spec and we welcome every inspection," he said. "Eddie and I are simply doing our jobs and getting down the track."
5) Quotes of the Weekend
The King of Quote is undoubtedly John Force, and though he went out in the first round, the 126-time Funny Car event winner is always unforgettable. His 90-minute Motor Home interview just before qualifying was hilarious, touching, interesting and thought-provoking. The best quip: "Me and God have issues."
4) Better Late Than Never
The Summit team brought out a new used Pontiac for Line four weeks ago and the results have been, well, startling. He reached his fourth straight final, winning his second (he beat Mike Edwards in Norwalk, before losing back-to-back finals on the Western Swing to Allen Johnson and Edwards. "I guess we look a little a little silly for not bringing out the car earlier," he said. This Pontiac was actually one of Anderson's from the past. Asked if Anderson is going to ask for it back and Line said: "It's not going anywhere. I'm bigger than he is."
3) High Aimer Award
That goes to Antron Brown, who before the season predicted his Matco Tools Dragster would win eight times. That's quite a big number considering he won just twice during his rookie Top Fuel season last year, that Tony Schumacher in his class and most importantly, the upheaval of his team in the offseason. But behind owner Mike Ashley and crew chiefs Brian Corradi and Mark Oswald, Brown has reached eight finals, is No. 1 in season points and the man to beat down the stretch. "He if (Schumacher) can win 15 times in one season, eight didn't seem so much," Brown said.
2) One Cool Tribute
It's such an odd sight really, watching a bunch of machismo, hardcore NHRA fans gingerly spooning up ice cream after three days of rugged racing. But truly, there could be no more fitting tribute to any late soul than Infineon's Ice Cream Social for Oakdale's Eric Medlen, the highly popular and gregarious driver who succumbed to head injuries in March of 2007 following a test crash. Everyone loves ice cream and the same was true for anyone who met Eric. For the third straight year after the final race, volunteers, drivers and crew members dished out more than 400 cups of cool, creamy refreshment to fans and honored one of the sport's truly great, humble and rich people.
1) Flailing to Victory
Brown flailed his fists, held up a trophy and waved a brook stick after his victory. The 33-year-old from New Jersey became just the seventh driver in NHRA history to sweep the Western Swing (Denver, Seattle and Sonoma) with his Top Fuel crown. The former high school track and field sprinter talks about as fast as he drives. "This is why I get up in the morning," he said. "This is why I do what I do."
The NHRA gives out special awards each competition, including the 22nd Annual FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon over the weekend.
They include:
Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle award ($1,000 to the No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle) - Eddie Krawiec, Indianapolis, Screaming' Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, 6.915 seconds, 192.95 mph).
Best Engineered Vehicle - Eugene Carbide Saw '57 Chevy Super Gas entry. Driver: Rodney Souza, Eugene, Ore.
NHRA Best Appearing Car - Blaisdell Trailer Sales Chevy Camaro Super Gas entry. Driver: Aaron Kinard, San Marcos, Calif.
NHRA Best Appearing Crew - Hula Girl Beverages Chevy Camaro Super Gas entry. Driver: Stephanie Paz, Stockton, Calif.
Strange Engineering "Perfectly Strange" performance award: (Winning an elimination round by running dead-on their dial-in or index) - Stock: Tibor Kadar, Peoria, Ariz.
Quest for the Full Throttle Moment Award ($3,000 each to Top Fuel and Funny Car, $1,500 to Pro Stock and $750 to Pro Stock Motorcycle for the top moment in each category during the event).
Top Fuel: Antron Brown for beating Cory McClenathan in the final and becoming the seventh drive in NHRA history to sweep the Western Swing.
Funny Car: Part-timer racer Gary Densham's first-round upset over former boss John Force.
Pro Stock: Jason Line's semifinal win over Jeg Coughlin, which came via a holeshot.
Pro Stock Motorcycle: Hector Arana's first-round win over David Hope - the seventh quickest in NHRA history.
Roaming around a packed paddock, we asked some fervent fans their picks and why they picked them heading into the 22nd annual FRAM Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway.
FAN:
Bob Dix, 40ish, Citrus Heights
Top Fuel: "Antron Brown, because we partied with him Friday night."
Funny Car: "Ashley Force, because she's a Force and they're all a force of course, of course."
Pro Stock: "Jason Line, because he's another friend."
Pro Stock Motorcycles: "Matt Guidera, because he's the defending champion and we just went to his party at the dealership."
# # #
Fan: John Wallace, 22, Roseville
TF: "Brian Thiel, because I know him. My buddy worked for his top alcohol team. NOTE: Thiel actually runs in Funny Car."
FC: "John Force, because he's the best."
PS: "Greg Anderson, because he's the best too." Motor, don't have an answer...
# # #
Fan: John Smith, 50, Tracy
TF: "Antron Brown, because he's leading in points and he's having a good weekend."
FC: "Del Worsham. I want Ashley Force, but I just have a feeling.
PS: "Jegs (Jeg Coughlin Jr.). Can't say why for sure, just my gut tells me so."
PSM: "It's a tossup."
Hines is one reporter's pick to win the Pro Stock Motorcycles.
Photo: NHRA
It's hard not to root for a guy like rookie Matt Hagan at the 2009 NHRA FRAM Autolite Nationals.
Quiet. Reserved. Humble.
The surprise No. 1 qualifier in the highly competitive Funny Class field said he's taking nothing for granted headed into today's finals. He faces proven standout Cruz Pedrigon in a first-round matchup Sunday.
"In racing, you can go from here to zero in just one race," Hagan said.
The Virginia native knows all about harsh transitions.
During the week, the rookie driver for Don Schumacher Racing, is a cattle farmer in Christianburg, Va.
You can't get much more ying and yang than that.
"For me it feeds the polar opposite ends of what I love to do," he said. "The racing is fun and exciting and thrilling and living on the edge. My everyday life is far different. It's slow and easy and helps me calm down."
Hagan drove his shelor.com Dodge to a top pass of 4.068 seconds (307.51 mph) on Friday, which held up through Saturday's qualifying. He sits No. 10 in season points, which is the last spot to make it to countdown.
Making today's first-round match all the more crucial is that Pedrigon sits No. 11 in the standings. Only six events remain in the season.
"To be able to qualify No. 1 is a big stepping stone in my career, and, for the team it's something that has boosted their morale," he said. "The shelor.com guys rolled into the pits this morning and had big smiles on their faces. I think everybody kind of new it was going to stick.
"We just went up there and wanted to go down the race track today. We did that in all four laps of racing."
Here's another reason to root for the hard-working 26-year-old. He has a two-year-old boy and his wife is expecting a second child - a girl.
Here are nine more quick hits from throughout the track.
1) Don't be surprised if another John Force Racing team member takes home the Funny Car title. The most consistent runner throughout has been Mike Neff (Ford Drive One Mustang), the No. 2 qualifier at 4.069 (305.42). Neff had the best runs Saturday which are truer conditions to Sunday's finals.
It would be the fourth straight John Force Racing team member - all different drivers - to win Funny Car at Infineon. "There's something magical about the place," said Ashley Force Hood, who is the No. 3 qualifier but faces a tough first-round foe in season-point leader Ron Capps.
2) No. 3 Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifier Andrew Hines (Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson ) actually swapped motors after the last event in Denver, but then realized this weekend there was nothing wrong with the engine at all.
Hines had a near perfect 6.967 pass in the morning Saturday and finished No. 3 qualifier. "We just worked on some things and realized everything was just right mechanically," Hines said. The Trinidad, Colo. Native owns the most victories ever in a season for his class - 10 in 1998.
3) No. 4 Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifier Kelly Stoffer has had a superb weekend with a pass of 6.960 (191.67) on her GEICO Powersports Suzuki. That only topped off a childhood dream earlier in the week when she threw out the first pitch at an A's game.
4) A quick glance through the pits shows there are no more hardcore motor sports fans anywhere than the NHRA. Fans block around their favorite teams and literally soak in the acidic, bitter nitro fumes during testing. They walk away with their noses running, eyes burning but chests thrown out.
5) Top Fuel leader Antron Brown is looking to make a little history. He's seeking to become the seventh driver to sweep the Western Swing. He and his Matco Tools dragster qualified No. 4 (3.44, 311.05) and face No. 13 Troy Buff in the first round Sunday. Sorry Antron but we predict Larry Dixon emerges the victor.
6) Other predicted victors in teach class: Neff (Funny Cars), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycles).
7) Other predicted finalists: Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Bob Taska (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle).
8) Though two days and four rounds of qualifications were entertaining they were hardly meaningful. Only 10 teams were eliminated among the four divisions, five at Pro Stock Motorcycles, three at Pro Stock and two at Funny Car. All 16 Top Fuel teams advanced.
9) Of the 64 finalists, 18 drivers list their hometowns as California, including a whopping 11 in Funny Car. Indiana is second with 12, six in the Top Fuel division. North Carolina (four) is No. 3, followed by Ohio, Louisiana and Illinois with three each. Tennessee, Texas, Nevada and Minnesota have two finalists and Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Alabama, Florida, Oregon and Utah each have one driver in the finals. The means 21 of the 50 states are represented. "My country tis of thee..".
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Photo: Chucke Walkden
There's a great story developing this weekend at the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals.
J.R. Todd has been sidelined for most of the season. Like many other drivers, he's searching for sponsorship.
He has a two-race deal with Baca Motorsports; it began in Seattle and will conclude this weekend in Sonoma.
He has come out of nowhere to claim the No. 1 qualifying spot with a pass of 3.811 seconds. J.R. became the first African-American to win a Top Fuel race in 2007 in Denver. He followed that up two weeks later by winning in Sonoma.
He was sitting on his couch just three weeks ago; now he sits No. 1 in Top Fuel entering Sunday's final eliminations. Very neat deal if he could win; it just goes to show on any given race weekend anyone can win.
He'll have a tough road to the finals as there is a potential second-round showdown with Tony Schumacher, who swept the Western Swing last year. We'll see what happens, but either way, it's been a dream weekend for J.R. Hopefully he can find funding and get back full-time on the NHRA circuit.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
July is here and that can only mean one thing: the countdown has begun for the FRAM Autolite NHRA Nationals, July 24-26.
It's always tough to get back on the gas pedal after NASCAR, but something about 7,000 horsepower and 300-mph speeds that tends to get the heart pumping again. Ah, the sweet smell of nitro is in the air.
We are vey excited about the special tributes we will again feature for the late Eric Medlen, who was truly one of the great guys in NHRA drag racing. Sonoma was his home track and we feel privileged to be able to do this.
We'll have the Eric Medlen Nitro Night Dinner at the Fior d'Italia Restaurant in SF on Thursday, July 23 (call 800-870-RACE for tix). His family will be there, as well as many of his friends from his hometown of Oakdale. It's a very special evening. We'll also do our annual Eric Medlen Ice Cream Social on the race surface following Sunday's final eliminations.
John Force Racing has won the last three Funny Car titles in Sonoma (Medlen 2006, John Force 2007, Robert Hight 2008). We know winning this race is very important to JFR; we'll see if they can keep the trend going in Eric's memory. Maybe Ashley can make a visit to Winner's Circle?
Hope to see you out here that weekend! We'll supply the power, you'll need to bring the ear plugs!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
A pair of Jeff Gordon fans from St. Peters, Missouri - 58-year-old Patti Johnson and 59-year-old Dennis Degonia - were married in the Wine Country Winner's Circle at Infineon Raceway Sunday morning by Infineon track minister Tim Boeve.
They had considered a private wedding in Las Vegas, but were convinced by Degonia's daughter, Michelle Leyva, an Infineon Raceway season-ticket holder from San Jose, to stage the wedding ceremony at the road course race track.
"I figured we'd just sneak in here and get married and watch the game and go home and have a couple of beers," Degonia said.
That's what Leyva initially believed would happen, too.
"We thought it was going to be very low key and no one was going to know and (Infineon) got the media involved and it was like ‘Oh, God.' It's gotten bigger and bigger and bigger," Leyva said. "I've got goose bumps."
The wedding ceremony was filmed by a NASCAR media group, which intends to include footage in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame that's scheduled to open in Charlotte, N.C. next year.
"This is all surreal to me," Johnson said.
It is the third marriage for both and one of the oddest ceremonies Boeve has officiated.
"I never had roaring engines in the background. I've had crashing waves and barking dogs," said Boeve, who is from Sonoma. "But it's the first time I've had engine noise in the background by a long shot."
Johnson and Degonia met about 12 years ago at a motorcycle event in Missouri.
"I was broke down and he helped me get my bike running," Johnson said.
Johnson wore a yellow sun dress in honor of Gordon and Degonia wore a white Gordon T-shirt. They invited Gordon to attend and wrote a $500 check to his favorite charity as incentive.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom went to their honeymoon destination - Turn 7 at Infineon.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The star attraction at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma was missing in action on Saturday. Hershel McGriff, the 81-year-old racing legend who seemingly got more attention this week than Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, failed to qualify
for Saturday's Bennett Lane Winery 200, presented by Supercuts. His comeback attempt for the NASCAR Camping World Series West race at Infineon came up short.
"After I quit in 2002, I often said I'd like to come back and try a short-track race when I was 80," McGriff said. "Well, I missed that."
That McGriff missed the starting field on Saturday was a disappointment to the crowd - and to McGriff, who thought he had a good chance to qualify in the top 15. He didn't even make the top 36. He said he had trouble with the carburetor on his Park Corporation Chevrolet.
Instead of rooting on McGriff, racing fans were treated to a controversial finish in the NASCAR Camping World Series West race. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 19-year-old rookie Joey Logano was leading the Bennett Lane Winery 200 into the final turn in the 64-lap race when he was spun out by 27-year-old Patrick Long who crossed the finish line first but was then penalized for "aggressive driving" giving the win to the second-place finisher, 26-year-old Jason Bowles of Ontario.
McGriff may get a shot to test the young guns again. He has expressed an interest in trying to qualify for NASCAR Camping World Series West races in Portland on July 19 and in Utah on Aug. 1.
********
The No. 71 Adobe Road Winery Chevrolet Impala SS, owned by Kevin Buckler's TRG Motorsports in Petaluma and driven by David Gilliland, was badly damaged in practice on Saturday morning in an incident in Turn 1 involving the No. 34 Taco Bell Chevrolet, driven by John Andretti, who had slowed on the track to let a car go by him. Gilliland said he was reaching down to turn on fan switches as he was exiting pit row and plowed into the back of Andretti’s car.
The collision brought practice to a halt for seven minutes.
“It was 100 percent my fault,” Gilliland said.
Gilliland expects to drive the team’s back-up, its short track car, on Sunday in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 and he said it is “not nearly as good as our prime car.”
Andretti’s car suffered some body damage but he will not need to drive his back-up.
At the time of the crash, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the four fastest practices laps – all over 92 mph -- had been turned in by Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears.
Marcos Ambrose, who qualified third on Friday, blew an engine in the No. 47 Little Debbie/Kingsford/Clorox Toyota about 10 minutes after the restart of practice following the Gilliland/Andretti accident to bring out the caution flag again. Ambrose, who had the fastest lap time (92.490 mph) to that point on Saturday, now will start from the back of the pack in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.
With sponsor help falling through for his No. 87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota, Joe Nemechek lent his car to Scott Speed of Manteca and the Red Bull team for Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race. Speed did not qualify on Friday in the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota but he and his crew will inherit Nemecheck’s car, which qualified 31st.
“He had an awfully fast car yesterday. He just messed up,” Nemechek said. “The big thing is to just get him laps out there. It’s just a business deal now.”
The top five fastest practice lap times in the first 45-minute Sprint Cup Series practice at Infineon Raceway on Saturday were posted by Marco Ambrose (77.457), Juan Pablo Montoya (77.622), Clint Bowyer (77.748), Jamie McMurray (77.766) and Robby Gordon (77.798). Defending Toyota/Save Mart 350 defending champion Kyle Busch, five-time race champion Jeff Gordon and three-time defending Sprint Cup Series winner Jimmie Johnson had the 29th, 30th and 31st fastest laps, respectively.
A.J. Allmendinger of Los Gatos hopes history repeats itself. The driver of the No. 44 Best Buy Dodge, who qualified 20th for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, has fond memories of Father’s Day.
“I won my first Champ Car race in 2006 at Portland on Father’s Day,” Allmendinger said. “He was pretty pumped up about that. I wouldn’t mind that happening again this weekend at Infineon. That would be awesome.”
In the final minutes of Saturday morning’s hour-long second Sprint Cup Series practice session, A.J. Allmendinger posted the fastest lap time (92.525 mph). The next five fastest lap practice times were recorded by Ron Fellows, Robby Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman. Patrick Carpentier, who qualified 38th on Friday, had the eighth fastest practice lap time.
Jimmie Johnson and Marcos Ambrose tussled by the tire barriers in Turn 11 late in the final practice session, leaving debris on the track.
Vallejo native and five-time Toyota/Save Mart 350 winner Jeff Gordon will be at a Q&A session on Sunday hosted by Infineon Raceway president and general manager Steve Page. It will start at 11 a.m. by the Sunoco gas station by Turn 11.
Signed memorabilia from top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will be available to bid on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at a silent and live auction in the winner’s circle next to the Main Grandstand. All proceeds benefit the Sonoma Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway.
Race-day entertainment prior to Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 will include live music by Terraphonic, a Northern California-based band, in front of the Main Grandstand; Airshows America’s Patriots Jet Team Air Show; Red Bull Helicopter Stunt Show; Red Bull Sky Diving Team and the Patriotic Parachute Team. A military fly-by during the national anthem will cap the pre-race festivities before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race starts at 2 p.m.
Kyle Busch plans to leave Infineon Raceway in Sonoma late Saturday morning to take a helicopter flight to Napa where he will catch a private plane to fly to Milwaukee to compete in Saturday night’s Nationwide Series race there. After the race, depending on whether he wins and has to hang out in the Victory Lane, Busch will make a return flight from Milwaukee to Napa where he expects to land sometime around 4 a.m. on Sunday to defend his title in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on Sunday afternoon.
“I’ll probably get ridiculed if I lose the race this year or struggle it will be because I went to Milwaukee. I don’t feel that way,”
Busch said earlier this week. “Last year I set the tone that I do know how to road race and if my car is good enough I can make it happen and if we’ve got the right pit strategy we can make it happen. This year it will just be about making sure I get enough sleep and making sure I get there on Sunday.”
Busch, who has qualified second for Sunday’s race in the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry, said he already had a comfortable place picked out on the plane to sleep.
“In the bathroom,” he quipped.
Carl Edwards, who qualified 34th for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, is the only other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver making the trip to Milwaukee where he won the race driving the Save-A-Lot Ford last year. It will be the third week in a row that Edwards has run in two different races in the same weekend.
Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion, is currently sixth in the Sprint Cup points standings, 262 behind points leader Tony Stewart.
Road course specialist Boris Said, trying to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, is trying to figure out how to handle his No. 08 No Fear Racing Ford Fusion, the highest qualifying Ford (ninth) in the starting field for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350
“It’s kind of like riding a bull in a China shop,” Said said. “We don’t have a lot of downforce, and then you put in the 43 guys that are like Dobermans with hand grenades in their mouth, especially this weekend with double-file restarts. It’s gonna be an exciting race for the fans.”
Said has the help of the Wood Brothers pit crew for Sunday’s race.
In his NASCAR Camping World Series West debut, Patrick Long of Thousand Oaks, who moved to Europe at the age of 17 to pursue a racing career, has the pole for Saturday’s Bennett Lane Winery 200, presented by Supercuts. In 1998, Long became the first American in 20 years to win the International Europe karting event. Ten years later, he was driving Penske Racing’s Porsche RS Spyder in ALMS. Long has been racing on NASCAR’S Camping World Series East circuit this season.
The Bennett Lane Winery 200 is 64 laps or 127.36 miles. Saturday’s starting field will include three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers: Joey Logano, David Gilliland and Boris Said. Johnathan Hale of Rio Linda, Jack Sellers of Sacramento and Paul Pedroncelli, Jr. of Sonoma round out the 40-car field.
The NASCAR Camping Series World Series race is a developmental circuit, the equivalent of Double A minor league baseball.
Brian Vickers, who has the pole position for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, owns the race record for the NASCAR Camping World Series West race at Infineon Raceway. His record speed of 67.595 mph in one hour, 53 minutes and 3 seconds topped the race in 2006.
Eric Holmes, who qualified third for Saturday’s Bennett Lane Winery 200, leads the NASCAR Camping World Series West points standings. He is also its leading money winner and has led the most laps after winning his third race of the season last week wire-to-wire in Roseburg. Jason Bowles and David Mayhew are second and third in the current points standings.
Jason Bowles of Ontario (who won last year’s Bennett Lane Winery 200) and Mike David of Modesto are aiming to continue their streaks of finishing in the top 10 in NASCAR Camping World Series races this season. Both have top-10 finishes in all six starts this year.
Jim Inglebright of Fairfield, who finished third in last year’s Bennett Lane Winery 200, qualified 13th this year.
Paulie Harraka will start 12th and Blake Koch qualified 23rd for the Bennett Lane Winery 200. They are currently tied in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
Hershel McGriff, an 81-year-old NASCAR driver, will not race in the Bennett Lane Winery 200. He did not qualify for one of the four provisional spots in the 40-car field. A record 41 cars started last year’s race at Infineon. McGriff had won a record three poles in his career at Infineon.
Longtime promoter and car owner Bill McAnally will receive the Gordon Martin Award from the Motorsports Press Association prior to Saturday’s race at 11:15 a.m. for his outstanding contribution to the sport of auto racing. Stock Car Driver of the Year Eric Holmes and 9-year-old go-kart racer Tommy McCarthy of Fremont also will be recognized.
Toyota placed 1-2-3 in qualifying for Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 and, appropriately, they will follow another Toyota around the track for the start of the race. For the first time in the history of a NASCAR road course, a Toyota Camry hybrid will serve as the official pace car for the 43-car Sprint Cup Series race on the at Infineon Raceway. The Camry made its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Lowe’s Motor Speedway last month when it became the first hybrid vehicle to be the “official” pace car for an entire race.
Infineon Raceway will honor the four fallen officers from the Oakland Police Department with a tribute during the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on Sunday. Four motorcycle units from the OPD will lead the 43-car field around the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. The police department’s Davina Kelly also will sing the national anthem on Sunday. The OPD has a booth in the main paddock set up to accept donations for the families of the four officers.
Sgt. Daniel Sakai, Sgt. Ervin Romans, Sgt. Mark Dunakin and Officer John Hege were shot and killed by a gunman following a traffic stop on March 21.
TNT racing analyst Kyle Petty will be available for a question-and-answer at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Russell Racing Garage, located in the paddock at the north end of the main grandstand at Infineon Raceway. TNT is providing television coverage of Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.
Racing fans will have an opportunity to step foot on the 10-turn Infineon road course on Sunday, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The “Track Walk” will feature specially-painted lug nuts dropped around the race course, each of which is redeemable for a valuable prize. Fans can enter the track from the main grandstand and Turns 1, 2, 7, 9 and 11. Participants also can make donations to Speedway Children’s Charities.
The Jim Russell Tech Center will conduct a 30-minute tour of its facility at Infineon Raceway on Saturday and Sunday for media. Media members are asked to meet at the tech center in Turn 1 on the track at 9 a.m.
Jeff Burton and Juan Pablo Montoya are among the NASCAR drivers scheduled to appear at the SPEED Stage on Sunday for Q&A sessions starting at 9:30 a.m. The SPEED stage is located in the main paddock area behind the Main Grandstand.
Vallejo native and five-time Toyota/Save Mart 350 winner Jeff Gordon will be at a Q&A session on Sunday hosted by Infineon Raceway president and general manager Steve Page. It will start at 11 a.m. by the Sunoco gas station by Turn 11.
Signed memorabilia from top NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will be available to bid on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at a silent and live auction in the winner’s circle next to the Main Grandstand. All proceeds benefit the Sonoma Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, the charitable arm of Infineon Raceway.
