Road Course Ringers Not a Sure Thing

SONOMA, Calif. - There was a time not too long ago that road course races, like this Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway, were almost "throw away" events.

Most drivers, used to turning left around the ovals, knew that they weren't going to finish well and looked forward to the next race. The road course races were the bastions of the road course specialists, the so-called road course "ringers."

That was then, but this in now. In today's NASCAR every race is important, every point gained is valuable and the highest finishing position is the goal each and every week.

The road course ringers will still be in evidence this weekend -- Boris Said, Ron Fellows, Max Papis, Patrick Carpentier and Brian Simo are expected to be in attendance -- but their dominance is no longer a sure thing.

Jeff Gordon leads the list of NASCAR's all-time Sprint Cup winners on road courses with nine victories -- four at Watkins Glen International and five at Infineon Raceway.

Tony Stewart, who is leading the point standings, is second among active drivers with six road course wins, two of those coming in Sonoma.

Then there is Kyle Busch. Busch staged a dominant performance last year, leading 78 of the 112 laps en route to victory. It's a feat he hopes to repeat again this year.

Busch's secret, like many of the Sprint Cup regulars, is learning to control the race.

"I've learned to manage a race more than I have ever before, and to be more patient than I was earlier in my career," Busch said. "I'm still going to be aggressive and go for it, at times, but there's a time for that and a time to ride, too."

For Stewart success at the road courses is all about balance.

"Aerodynamics are not the least bit important at Sonoma, which is great because it's one of the few tracks that we go to that we don't have to worry about aero balance or anything like that," Stewart explained. "It's just a matter of keeping a well-balanced car all day and having good pit stops and pit strategy and staying out of trouble."

Both Busch and Stewart agree that there is one key to winning on road courses.

"For me, it's just a matter of going out there and relaxing and being as patient as I can be behind the wheel of the car," Busch said. "Sometimes, driving it hard isn't the smoothest way around."

Stewart agreed with Busch that patience helps, but added that saving the car is also a good strategy.

"You get a lot of cautions there and a lot of guys end up beating and banging on each other," Stewart said. "I mean, the cars look like they've been to a race at Martinsville because it's a short road course. Save that car for the last 20 laps because that's the critical time. Do what you have to do to get through the first 90 laps, but those last 20 are the ones when you really have to go, and you need your car to be in one piece to make it happen."

One new challenge facing the entire field this weekend will be the new double-file restart procedure recently enacted by NASCAR for points-paying races.

Double file restarts, where the leader has lane choice and third place must always start on the inside, have historically only been used for non-points paying events, but NASCAR changed the procedures to include points-paying events in an attempt to increase competition beginning with Pocono two weeks ago.

Sunday will be the first time the procedure is used on a road course and that has some drivers concerned.

"I think NASCAR knew that trying it at Pocono and at Michigan were two good tracks to test it out and get some of the bugs worked out," said Gordon. "I think it's going to create some havoc at Sonoma and I am just anxious to get through it and see how it turns out. ... The only way to know what you have is to race with it, and while I'm not sure if we need it at a road course, they are pretty adamant to do it there and we'll see how it turns out."

Fast Facts

The Race: Toyota/Save Mart 350

The Date: Sunday, June 21

The Track: Infineon Raceway (1.99-mile, road course)

The Time: 5 p.m. ET

The Distance: 218.9 miles (350 kilometers)/112 laps

TV: TNT, 3:30 p.m. ET

Radio: PRN and Sirius XM Satellite

2008 Polesitter: Kasey Kahne

2008 Winner: Kyle Busch

Schedule: Friday -- Practice, Noon-1:30 p.m. Qualifying, 3:35 p.m.; Saturday -- Practice, 9:30-10:15 a.m. and 10:50-11:50 a.m. (All times PT/local.)