Gas and Go--Sonoma

This week's version of Gas and Go takes us to the California Wine Country; more specifically, Sonoma in the Napa Valley of Northern California. For us NoCals, it's the only time NASCAR comes to our neck of the woods. Here are a few observations about Sonoma and the track.

1. Infineon Raceway opened in 1968 under the name Sears Point Raceway on 720 acres of a former dairy farm. The Raceway hosted its first race, an SCCA Enduro, on December 1, 1968.
2. Infineon Raceway hosts 340 days of racing activity each year, making it one of the busiest tracks in the nation. It is also one of the premier racing venues in the nation.
3. The road course features more than 160 feet of elevation change: Turn 3a is 174 feet and Turn 10 is just 14 feet. So not only does a driver have to make both left and right turns, he also has to deal with the vast elevation changes, further testing his mettle.
4. Drivers will make 1,100 turns on the course should they complete all 110 laps.
5. The Toyota/Save Mart 350 is one of the few races measured in kilometers. The race spans 110 laps, or 218.9 miles or 352.21 kilometers.
6. Ricky Rudd won the inaugural Winston Cup race at Sears Point in 1988. He would win his second Sonoma race 14 years later, in 2002. It would end up being his last career win.
7. The late Dale Earnhardt won his only road course race at Sonoma, in 1995.
8. Vallejo's own Jeff Gordon holds the career record for wins at Sonoma: five, including three in a row from 1998-2000. He also won in 2004 and 2006. Home cooking has served him well there. In addition to his five wins, he has also started from the pole five times (1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005). Could a sixth win be awaiting him in front of his home fans? (Infineon is Gordon's home track)
9. Juan Pablo Montoya won his first Cup race at Sonoma in 2007. He started 32nd, the farthest back that a winner has started. Typically, a prospective winner would want to start within the top 10.
10. Look for the usual suspects to run well: Gordon, Mark Martin, Montoya, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch (the defending race champion). My dark horse: Jamie McMurray. He always seems to run well at Sonoma, and is frequently the best running Roush driver there.

Predicted Race Winner: Juan Pablo Montoya.

Your comments and takes are always welcome!