Toyota/Save Mart 350 Race Review

Infineon Raceway -- 06/22/08

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Monday Jun 23 2008 6:17pm

Drivers say that the key to winning at Sonoma is keeping the car on the racetrack.

It sounds simplistic, but it is certainly true, as many of Sunday's competitors on the Infineon road course were eliminated from contention just by going off course - either on their own, or with the help of other drivers.

Among those hurt by incidents of this type were Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray, Ron Fellows, Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya, Joe Nemechek, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Robby Gordon, Kurt Busch, Max Papis, David Reutimann, Scott Pruett, and Martin Truex Jr.

That's quite a list - almost half the field, in fact - including several road course "ringers" as well as other potential contenders for the win.

Perhaps the most dramatic of these events occurred on lap 105 of a scheduled 110, when Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray and Ron Fellows - all running in the top 10 at the time- were taken out domino-style by Kevin Harvick's mishandling of a turn.

"I made a mistake late in the race and drove the car in too deep and wheel-hopped it," said Harvick. "I feel
bad for involving the No. 26 (McMurray) and the No. 20 (Stewart)."

Stewart maneuvered his way through the field again in the closing laps to finish 10th. McMurray came in 18th, and Harvick, 30th.

Much of the remaining action in the race played out on pit road. A few drivers who looked strong in the early going were hampered by ill-timed cautions while on pit road, including Jimmie Johnson, who led 27 laps, Carl Edwards and Ryan Newman. Several others served pit road speeding penalties, among them Jeff Burton, Boris Said, Michael Waltrip, and Paul Menard.

Another important factor in the race's outcome was mechanical issues. Polesitter Kasey Kahne had clutch problems starting on the third lap; he finished 33rd. Several drivers DNF'd, including Brian Simo (another ringer), with a transmission problem, Boris Said with shocks and brakes, Bobby Labonte with an electrical malfunction, and Marcos Ambrose, who looked stout until a bad transmission triggered the last of his on-track incidents.

Despite colliding with Ambrose when the latter's transmission failed, Elliott Sadler was still running in fourth with two laps to go when he had a least one (maybe two) tires go flat. He managed to keep his car on the track, however, finishing the race in 19th place, then spinning out after crossing the start-finish line.

Meanwhile, steadfastly motoring his way through the field was race winner Kyle Busch, seemingly unaffected by the mayhem taking place all around him.

Though he started deep in the field (30th), Busch made it to the front by lap 33, getting past Greg Biffle and Juan Pablo Montoya on a restart to take the lead. He dominated the race from that point on, leading all but the two laps that accounted for his final pit stop. He survived five cautions in the final 10 laps of the race including a long red flag delay and a green-white-checkered finish.

The chaotic race had a big impact on the point standings, with fully half of the current Chase contenders changing spots in the standings.

Among the biggest climbers was Jeff Gordon, up three spots to 6th thanks to a 3rd-place finish, and Matt Kenseth, who finished 8th and cracked the top 12 in standings for the first time in many weeks. Kenseth booted Kevin Harvick out of the top 12, though Harvick is only two points behind him in 13th.

The top five in points, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, and Jimmie Johnson, all maintained their positions in the standings.

Busch's win was important not only for the current point standings, but also for the bonus points that he will carry into the Chase. Drivers earn 10 extra points for each win during the regular season - points that will be credited at the start of the Chase.
With five wins currently, Busch will start the Chase with at least 50 bonus points; Carl Edwards follows with three wins and 30. There are currently four drivers among the top 12 who have not won a race this season: Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart, and Matt Kenseth.

One of the real surprises in Sunday's race was the performance of Yates Racing's David Gilliland, who's second-place finish in the No. 38 Ford was a career best for him in the Cup series.

But the biggest surprise of all may have been the inadvertent (Δ) announcement by a TV broadcaster who disclosed that Casey Mears would not be returning to Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 5 car next season.

Though there have been no official announcements, rumors are swirling that Mears will be indeed be looking for a new ride next season, while DEI's Mark Martin may take over for Mears at HMS and make one final full-time attempt to win a Cup series championship.

If true, it will be Martin's 27th year in the Cup series.