Beccas Pace Lap

Infineon Raceway Sonoma -- 06/21/2009

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Saturday Jun 20 2009 2:26am

Becca's Pace Lap: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway*

• Front Row: Brian Vickers (P1), Kyle Busch (P2)

• Pole Qualifying Speed: 93.678 mph

• Highest Starting Rookie: Joey Logano - starts 12th

• To the Rear: None at present

• Fastest Qualifier by Manufacturer:

Chevy: Tony Stewart (4th)
Dodge: Kasey Kahne (5th)
Ford: Boris Said (9th)
Toyota: Brian Vickers (1st)

• Drivers Who Missed the Cut:

Chris Cook
Tom Hubert
Brian Simo
Scott Speed

• Weather Forecast: Sunny, 75°F, SW winds at 15-20 mph

• Race Notes:

Last year's race winner: Kyle Busch

This week’s starting front row of Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch at Sonoma is the exact same front row as last week in Michigan. Last week’s pole run speed was 189.110 mph; this week on the road course, it’s 93.678 mph.

The top three qualifiers were all in Toyotas: Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch and Marcos Ambrose.

The last driver to win this race from the pole was Jeff Gordon in 2004. Juan Pablo Montoya started 30th when he won here two years, and Kyle Busch won from a 32nd-place starting spot last year.

A lot of the talk in the garage this weekend has been about how the double-file restarts will affect the race on the road course. GM’s funding cutbacks are also a concern.

Marcos Ambrose had the fastest car in practice Friday morning, running a 93.368 mph lap – just two-tenths off the pole qualifying pace.

Three drivers spun in practice Friday but sustained no serious damage - Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton and David Reutimann.

Patrick Carpentier is sitting in for Michael Waltrip in the No. 55 car this weekend and qualified 38th.

Other starting spots of note: Tony Stewart, 4th; Jimmie Johnson, 11th; Jeff Gordon, 13th; Carl Edwards, 34th; Dale Earnhardt Jr., 35th; David Reutimann, 42nd.

Goodyear brought a new tire to Infineon this year with a softer tire compound than last year. It is the first time this tire code has been used on a road course in the Cup series.

• Quotes of the Week:

“Is he really my boss? He is just my car owner, right? He just supplies the cars and engines. He doesn’t exactly tell me what to do. It is not like ‘I need you to put this plan together,’ or ‘finish up this thing.’” – Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 39, on what it’s like to have Tony Stewart as his ‘boss.’

“I’m as curious as you are to know how that’s going to work. It works okay at the start of the race, but it’s a different mentality when it’s a 100 laps to go versus when it’s 10 laps to go. With the fuel mileage game and all that stuff going on – man, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’d watch closely because I think it’s going to be pretty interesting.” – Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing No. 31, on double-file restarts being used on the road course for the first time.

• Current oddsmakers' favorite:
Tony Stewart +450 (starts 4th)
Kyle Busch +500 (starts 2nd)

• Long shots to watch:
Ryan Newman +2200 (starts 7th)
Greg Biffle +2500 (starts 15th)

* All information current at press time.

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