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KASEY KAHNE/No.9 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge survived the Green-White-Checkered flag scenario in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway Sunday to take the win by 0.748 seconds ahead of points leader, TONY STEWART/No.14 Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet. This was Kahne’s first road course victory. He led twice and the most laps.

Third was Aussie MARCOS AMBROSE/No.47 JTG Daughtery Motorsports Toyota, who qualified third, but had to start at the back due to an engine change. “We would have loved to have won, but after the problems yesterday, it feels like a win. We went from zero to hero.” He attributed his overcoming his back pack start to being mad and angry. “We tried a strategy which was a little odd ball and it worked out in our favor.” In a word, he was “hot, mad, happy, sad, all together.” He earned the Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race Award.

This was the first trip to Victory Circle in ten years for team owner, ‘The King’ RICHARD PETTY. He said it was a “picture perfect day. When everything goes right it’s your day. And that’s what it was today. Probably the best race we’ve been to for all four cars. This is win Number One. Now we have to figure out what we did right and do it again next week. We definitely now have enough money to get to the next race.”

Petty thought the Double File Restarts were good for the fans.

Petty admitted to having a “sip of wine” in Victory Circle…and also copped to a extended wine tasting in a cave a couple of nights before the race, saying that’s why he enjoys coming to Sonoma.

The estimated race attendance was 93,500 – down from last year’s 100,000, but good considering the state of the economy in California and the Bay Area.

Stewart stretched his points lead to 84 ahead of JEFF GORDON/No.24 Hendrick Motorsports, who finished ninth after starting thirteenth. The owner/driver was complimentary of Kahne who bested him in the 113-lap race. “I was just a little too loose in the right handers and Kasey never made a mistake. The kid did an awesome job. He ran a perfect race.”

The seven Double File Restarts accomplished at least one goal – entertainment for the fans. The word I heard most from the drivers after the race was “crazy” along with “nuts”, “awesome”, “intense” and “fun”. And drivers seemed to appreciate restarting with drivers around them, not further back in the pack.

Kahne said the new DFR “worked out really good for us.” He admitted he didn’t remember the last restart, when he was in the lead. He kept telling himself “Don’t spin the tires. If I was going slow, I didn’t notice.”

So much for road racing ringers. The top ten finishers were regular left hand drivers.

PATRICK CARPENTIER/No.55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota was the top non-regular driver, in eleventh place – his best-ever Cup result. The open wheel road racer emigrated to NASCAR last year, and this weekend was racing for team owner/driver, MICHAEL WALTRIP, and hopes to do so again at Watkins Glen.

Carpentier had a yo-yo day, starting thirty-eighth, charging up to seventeenth, then spinning out,  and charging back up front. He endured getting hit and pushed, and was sorry for pushing CASEY MEARS/No.07 Chevrolet, who had pushed him a couple of times. Mears finished twenty-third. Carpentier also got bumped around on restarts. The car was pretty banged up after the race. But, it was smiles all around. He prefers ovals and will race four for TOMMY BALDWIN – Loudon next weekend, and then Daytona, Richmond and Pocono.

Carpentier said during the DFR, “I always saw smoke and dust in the cockpit. I hope the fans enjoyed it.”

Twelfth place finisher, MAX PAPIS/No.13 Toyota was the top Rookie. He’s scheduled to run fifteen selected Cup races this season.

Kahne’s teammate, A.J. ALLMENDINGER/No.44 Dodge, is another open wheel driver turning to NASCAR and also had an up and down day, starting twentieth and finishing seventh. He said it was a dog fight getting back into the field after some agricultural racing, a speeding ticket, and his shares of lumps and bumps. A.J.’s right rear was going down and he had brake trouble at the end.  He wasn’t sure the DFR helped him, but hoped the fans loved it. If they did, then they were good. For him it was a bottleneck going into Turn One, with everyone slamming front and back. If he wasn’t in the first two rows, it was just a roll of the dice, and he was wrong 80 percent of the time. And he certainly didn’t want the Green-White-Checkered flag finish.

Thirty-nine drivers finished, and all but three were on the lead lap. The race ran 3 hrs and 10 mins, which included 20 laps for seven cautions. The average race speed was 71.012 mph. There were ten lead changes among eight drivers.

NASCAR impounds the first and second place finishers plus a random car, to be taken to the NASCAR R&D Center in North Carolina for tear down. This weekend it will be No.9, No.14 and the No.96 Ford driven by BOBBY LABONTE.

After the 113-lap Cup race began the second race – to get packed up and on the road to the shops in North Carolina and the next race in Loudon.

The current Infineon Raceway NASCAR track configuration is 1.99-miles with ten turns. This layout dates back to 1999. Race distance this weekend for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Spint Cup race will be 218.9 miles or 110 laps. The 350 comes from measuring the distance in klicks. JEFF GORDON/Chevrolet holds the qualifying track record of 75.950/74.325 mph set in 2006; RICKY RUDD/Ford holds the race record of 81.007 mph/2.42.08 set in 2002.

Spotters (who must have a NASCAR license) are required by NASCAR, and at Infineon Raceway the teams must have one, but many have two. Some drivers, such as DAVID GILLILAND/No.71 TRG Chevrolet, use three. The mandatory location is high up on the hill overlooking Turn Two, and it’s staffed with NASCAR officials, to take roll and to facilitate communication between NASCAR and the teams. A driver isn’t allowed on course until his spotter, or scorer, has checked in.

Anther location is on top of the Drag Tower in the infield opposite Pit Lane. Gilliland’s third spotter location is on the outside of Turn Seven.

NASCAR also requires each driver to provide a scorer to work in Timing & Scoring as a back-up system for the computerized/transponder system. NASCAR is slowly working on weaning away from the manual backup system. The Camping World Truck Series is the first of the top tier series to only use technology for its primary and backup systems. The Nationwide Series will go technical-only at its two road course races this year.

As if it wasn’t already obvious, all the Cup cars are required to have a sticker on their front driver’s side windshield ‘post’ which says “NASCAR Race Car”. It’s all about branding.

PATRICK CARPENTIER/No.55 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota got off to a miserable start Friday for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway; However, he was all smiles Saturday as the car was much better. “It flowed.” He was eighth fastest in Happy Hour Saturday. Carpentier is still in discussions with MWR about running the road course race at Watkins Glen in August.

Coming down pit lane during the race, Carpentier will be looking for the quirkiest pit sign. It’s a caricature of Waltrip’s face on a crab body. You have to see it to appreciate.

Carpentier’s experience at Infineon Raceway includes one IndyCar race and one Grand-Am race. He said it isn’t his best track, although it is fun if he’s doing well. As road courses go, Carpentier prefers Watkins Glen. Infineon is a hard track, and one has to be smooth and aggressive.

The always-pleasant Canadian isn’t doing much racing these days – a few NASCAR races here and there. He’ll be racing the Cup races at Loudon, Daytona and Pocono with TOMMY BALDWIN.

Carpentier will also be racing the MWR NNS car in Montreal, his home track; and he did the Indy tire test for MWR. He has moved back to Canada from Las Vegas, although he still has his Nevada house.

Carpentier has been working on his contractor’s license in Canada, and is almost there. He really likes it and is starting his own business, renovating and building houses. Carpentier is an avid snow sportsman, running snow mobiles and has taken up snow shoeing.

Another eccentric pit sign belongs to JUAN PABLO MONTOYA/No.42 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet – Marvin the Martian from the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. JPM really likes the little guy and his crew said the icon is also used in JPM’s personal clothing line.

During his half-hour Q&A session he held with track President/GM, STEVE PAGE, before race festivities began Sunday morning, JEFF GORDON/No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet said that he wants/hopes that he retires from racing when he’s ready, and not because of his back.

The ROBBY GORDON deal to run a second car came together so quickly that the team had to thrash to ready the car and put together a crew – some of which are coming from Gordon’s Southern California off-road race shop. An Aussie from Gordon’s North Carolina shop is heading up the effort. There wasn’t time to get the driver’s name on the door, but know that P.J. JONES is driving No.04 Toyota. Or was. He lasted one lap.

Gordon recently won the Baja 500 race in Mexico, and then was penalized back to seventh place for speeding on a highway. He appealed and it’s being heard right about now.

One ‘spectator’ I forgot to mention seen taking in the garage scene on Friday was ROBERTO PUPO MORENO, well known veteran open wheel and sports car driver. For years he was Super Sub in CART/Champ Car World Series. This is his third NASCAR venue, after visiting Homestead and Bristol. Pupo was fascinated by it all. He said he was looking around for a ride at the Watkins Glen Cup race.

Several drivers have opined on double file restarts at Infineon, going into Turn One. My favorite comes from BORIS SAID/No.08 Ford, who said “It’s kind of like riding a bull in a china shop. 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. It’s going to be an exciting race for the fans.”

It’s a red-letter weekend so far for Red Bull Racing. It’s NASCAR driver, BRIAN VICKERS/No.83 Toyota starts on the pole Sunday at Infineon Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race. RBR’s Formula One drivers finished first and second at the British Grand Prix earlier Sunday in their much-modified RB5′s. Pole sitter SEBASTIAN VETTEL won the race, and teammate MARK WEBER finished second after starting third.

RBR’s other NASCAR driver, SCOTT SPEED, failed to qualify but will drive the No.87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota owned and driven by JOE NEMECHEK- with Nemechek’s on the doors. Speed came from Formula One where he raced for a year and a half on the junior RBR Team, Toro Roso.

Vicker’s Over The Wall Gang Chief explained to me why the No.83 car was pitted where it was – first in line of the second half of the Pit Lane. Infineon Raceway is unique with its curved, segmented pit lane, which has a ramp dividing the two sections. RBR had first dibs on drawing for pit spaces. Their choice was predicated on two things – having the area in front of their pit free from incoming cars which could block an exiting Vickers, and a wide view of the entire Turn Eleven periphery. It’s all about strategy. The Crew Chief could watch and make a last-minute decision to call Vickers in for a pit stop. He said ordinarily the team would want the last pit stall before Pit Out – chosen this weekend by MARCOS AMBROSE/No.47 JTG Daughtery Toyota – for the same reason … no one could block his exit.

Ambrose was asked about double file restarts and comparing the Australian Bathurst road course to Infineon. With a wide grin, he said the restarts would be very interesting and entertaining for the fans. Ambrose said there’s no comparison between Infineon and Bathurst, which is a mountain top road course with definite elevations, twists and turns. Bathurst is quite challenging. It is the site of two annual traditional races, the 500 (12 hour race) and the 1000 – a 24-hour endurance race. Bathurst is, he said, a different genre.

It was sensory overload Sunday in the preceding hours before the Cup race. Colors, signs, sights and sounds everywhere. One blind man with a cane and a friend seemed to be taking it all in. It seemed as though there were pit tours everywhere. First I saw very small groups, and as time grew near for Driver Intros, the groups got larger and larger. Mobs and hordes.

TMI – At the 2007 NASCAR Cup race,  there were 62,000 toilet flushes between noon and 6:30 PM on race day – not including Porta-Potties. Wonder who gathered that tidbit and why? This year the track has rented and will service more than 530 portable facilities for the weekend.

The atmosphere at Infineon Raceway Sunday morning is more relaxed for a NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend than I’ve seen in a while. Lots of activity is taking place but it seems lower key than I’ve seen at this event. It’s bound to pick up, as is the gentle breeze. Winds up to 35 mph are forecast. It’s sunny and the skies are clear, but it is not yet too warm.

Two teams, coincidently located next to each other, are beavering away making their new cars race ready for Sunday afternoon’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 race.

TRG’s team is working on its new car, obtained from the Earnhardt Ganassi with Felix Sabates team, where it had been the road course backup car for MARTIN TRUEX, Jr. For all intents and purposes, this Chevrolet is TRG’s (backup) car. It will retain the TRG No.71 and the entire TRG livery for the weekend including all the local sponsorship graphics. Nothing has changed – driver, number or sponsors. All points earned will go to driver DAVID GILLILAND and owner KEVIN BUCKLER.

Next door the situation is a bit different. The No.82 Red Bull Racing team is working away readying the No.87 Toyota for driver SCOTT SPEED. This is considered a driver change from owner/driver, JOE NEMECHEK in the No.87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota. The owner points will go to Nemechek, while the driver points will go to Speed. This car will run as #87 and the graphics will remain as they were previously – which isn’t much as Nemechek’s sponsorship for the weekend fell through on Saturday. Red Bull Racing is providing its crew, hauler and staff, and the car will be pitted in the pit lane space drawn by Nemco.

The difference in the car/points situation was clarified for me by JOHN DARBY, Director, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Perception is not always reality. No more true than the finish of the Bennett Lane Winery 200 NASCAR Camping World Series West race Saturday afternoon at Infineon Raceway. High Drama.

Pole sitter PATRICK LONG/No.9 Ford crossed the finish line first to take the checkered flag in the 64-lap race, after hitting then front-runner, JOEY LOGANO/No.11 Toyota…and then was denied entry into Victory Circle.

Long’s bewildered teammate, JASON BOWLES/No.6 Ford was ushered into Victory Circle after thinking he finished second.

BORIS SAID/No.57 Ford was brought to the Media Center to meet the press as third-place finisher.

The initial set of unofficial results soon came out showing current points leader ERIC HOLMES/No.20 as third place finisher and Said coming in fourth. Holmes continues as points leader, 16 points ahead of Bowles.

Logano was scored in seventeenth place, and Long in twenty-third.

I’m still trying to sort it all out.

There were four lead changes among five drivers. Pole sitter Long led the first 19 laps. MOSES SMITH/No.16 Toyota started eleventh, led a lap and finished twenty-ninth; JOHNNY BORNEMAN/No.8 Chevrolet led five laps; Logano led 38 laps – until the white flag lap, and ultimate winner Bowles was scored as leading the last lap.

Eight cautions for 17 laps took a bite out of the race which ran 2 hrs, 11 mins, 1 sec. Long’s pole  speed was 91.891 mph – the average race speed was 58.325 mph. Twenty-three cars of  29 finishers were on the lead lap.

Long worked his way back up through the pack after his pit stop, moving into second. He chased leader Logano and made a banzai pass inside Turn Seven to take the lead…and then there was another melee in Turn Eleven. Long continued through to S-F and then a caution was thrown. NASCAR then put Logano back in front as NASCAR rules that scoring reverts back to the last green lap. When the green was thrown with three laps to go, Long again charged.

Long and Logano came together in Turn Eleven going for the checkered flag. They each tell a different story. Logano said “Look, I can understand if someone’s already inside you in a corner and then hits you. That’s racing. What I don’t understand is someone hitting you in the rear. That’s just cheating. He (Long) is a dirty, dirty racer.”

Long, running his first West race, said “I’m new at this sport, so I’m sort of learning what’s allowed and what’s not. There were a couple of things that didn’t fall our way and that was one of them. I don’t like to finish a race by getting into someone’s body, but it wasn’t on purpose that he spun out. I chatted the rear end and he decided to run the defensive line. When you defend like that and I locked the rear, there’s not much I can do, and I apologized for that. That’s not how I like to win.”

Bowles said “Actually the real winner here today is my teammate Patrick Long. I was just the beneficiary of some rough driving. We were in the right place at the right time at the end. I wish I could be a little bit happier about it, but I’ll take it.”

Comments from Team Owner BOB BRUNCATI  could not be repeated. He was livid in Victory Circle.

There were so many questions after the race that NASCAR Director of Touring Series, RICHARD BUCK, was brought to the Media Center to answer questions.

Long being put back to twenty-third was his penalty for aggressive driving. Buck explained the usual penalty was a drive-through but as the race was over, Long was instead scored as the last car on the lead lap.

Buck’s explanation: “It’s so hard to deal with whats and iffs, there are so many of them. All we can do is judge them on what happened today and we considered that aggressive driving and that was the penalty we would have assessed had it happened earlier in the race.

All we can do is make a judgement call. We didn’t consider it blocking. Everyone takes the inner line there.” Regarding Long’s claim that he was blocked going into Turn Eleven. Buck said “I’d say that too.”

Regarding the alleged attempt by Logano to sideswipe Long’s car on the way past Victory Circle and brushing two of Long’s crew in the process, Buck said “Emotions run high. In this sport. It doesn’t surprise me, but I didn’t see it.” Both Long and Bowles said it happened. Logano denied. Buck said NASCAR officials would be interviewed and any decisions or penalties would be issued Tuesday with the official results.

The West Series next races over Fourth of July in Irwindale. Long plans to run the East Series next weekend at Loudon, as a companion race for the Lenox Industrials Tools 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

There is a silver lining in the cloud hovering over TRG’s garage Saturday in the NASCAR Sprint Cup paddock at Infineon Raceway. DAVID GILLILAND/No.71 TRG Chevrolet crashed his primary car in the first Saturday morning practice – his new DEI road course car which just recently came from the Earnhardt Ganassi with Felix Sabates team. The TRG backup car is a short track car, not exactly suited for the technically challenging ten-turn elevated road course.

Chevrolet teams stick together, even in these rough economic times. The Earnhardt Ganassi management offered its MARTIN TRUEX Jr road course back up car to TRG. KEVIN BUCKLER, TRG Team Owner, said “I want to thank the Earnhardt Ganassi team for their gracious offer. It shows you how the NASCAR family really works together and has embraced us as new comers and wants to see our team succeed.”

This lease offer means a lot to the underdog TRG team. It  started out with a plan for two races, and ever since it has been race to race, admittedly sometimes running a Start and Park strategy. Buckler, who had characterized his team as being a Cinderella story, had said Friday that this weekend the team was going for the whole race. “A top five or top ten would be great.”

Buckler has tried some interesting ways to seek sponsorship. He has gone on local TV with ads asking for local sponsors, gone to lots of parties, traveled up and down the West Coast and basically has been trying to position the team for next year – which he considers easier to do than finding support for next week.

Saturday was a short day in the Sprint Cup garage. The Cup teams had two practice sessions before noon and were done for the day. NASCAR closed the Sprint Cup garage at 2:30 PM local time. TRG wasn’t been given any special dispensation to work overtime, so the team did what it can Saturday in changing transmission, rear end, etc. Graphics also have to be removed and reinstalled. It’s fortunate that TRG is based near Infineon Raceway, and new graphics can be easily obtained.

The TRG team went to work. Even the PR manager, KYLE CHURA, was given a task – removing graphics from #87. What can’t be done Saturday will be done Sunday morning, when the garage opens at 7 am local time, giving TRG seven hours to the green flag. The team is confident the car will be race ready in due time.

Saturday morning’s first NASCAR Sprint Cup practice at Infineon Raceway was busy and I don’t mean that in a good way.

MARCOS AMBROSE/Mo.47 JTG Daughtery Racing Toyota was fastest in the first session, at 77.457/92.490 mph, but blew an engine and will have to start at the back of the Sunday Toyota/Save Mart 350 race due to engine change. He had qualified third. In the final practice, Aussie Ambrose was thirty-first fastest.

Ambrose said “We came from dead last last year at Watkins Glen and finished third, so it can be done. But we’ll have to make some gambles on fuel mileage now to get up there.”

DAVID GILLILAND/No.71 TRG Chevrolet had a pit road accident with JOHN ANDRETTI/No.34 Front Row Motorsports Chevrolet, with Gilliland coming out the loser. It was on their first out lap. Andretti had stopped to let cars go by, and Gilliland hit him. Gilliland owned up to the accident being “100 per cent my fault. I was exiting pit road and looked down for a brief moment to turn on my fan switches and I hit him.”  Andretti’s car suffered body damage which can be repaired. Gilliland said “I smashed a couple of grapes on the Adobe Winery car this morning, so tomorrow we will try and make some wine.” In the meantime, the team will have to prepare the backup car for Sunday’s race. He qualified thirty-second, but will start at the back of the pack.

Famous last words. Friday, team owner KEVIN BUCKLER had said there was local sponsorship (Ultimate Limousine Service and Buckler’s other business, Adobe Winery), for the race car this weekend, “but we’re underfunded. David has to drive carefully so he won’t have to run the backup car”. TRG has but the one road race car. The back up car is a short-track car.

Neither Andretti nor Gilliland were out in the final practice.

JOE NEMECHEK/No.87 Nemco Motorsports Toyota qualified thirty-first, but he won’t be racing. Local lad, SCOTT SPEED of Manteca CA will be racing the car. Speed failed to qualify his No.82 Red Bull Racing Toyota Friday. He was thirty-ninth fastest. As soon as the team saw his time wouldn’t make the field, the wheels were set in motion to make a deal. After qualifying, the Red Bull team all stayed, and the details were finalized Friday night.

The specifics of the financial arrangement were not disclosed. This is the second time this year Speed hasn’t qualified and has run Nemechek’s car. The last time was Darlington. Speed was twenty-second in both practice sessions.

JAY FRY, GM of Red Bull Racing, and Nemechek have a long history.

If I have it correct, the way it works is that Speed will be racing an unbranded blue car sporting #87. There will be none of Speed’s Red Bull sponsorship on the car.  However, it will be a complete Red Bull effort – using Speed’s hauler, crew including over the wall gang, engineers, spotters, etc. Speed will wear his Red Bull suit, livery, etc. Nemechek’s cars are 2008 Red Bull Racing cars. Speed will use Nemechek’s pit stall and start the race from the back.

Red Bull has a large presence at the Infineon race, with hospitality and lots of guests. Speed’s hometown is in Northern California and he has thirty friends and fiance AMANDA with him at the track. Speed will be getting married soon – on an off-race weekend.

The weather was warm, sunny and breezy.

Another local driver, A.J. ALLMENDINGER of Los Gatos CA, was fastest in the second practice session, running his No.44 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge at 77.428/92.525 mph.

MAX PAPIS/No.13 Germain Racing Toyota was the top Rookie in both sessions, tenth in the first and twelfth in the final practice.

Sunday’s Sprint Cup race will be televised live on TNT at 2 PM local time/5 PM EDT.

MARCOS AMBROSE/No.47 Toyota was the last minute guy on top for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup practice Friday afternoon at Infineon Raceway. His time was 76.70/93.404 mph. The personable Aussie was creeping up the charts, and literally on the last lap he bested the likes of JEFF GORDON/No.24 Chevrolet, BORIS SAID/No.08 Ford, JIMMIE JOHNSON/No.48 Chevrolet and BRIAN VICKERS/No.83 Toyota.

Ambrose runs with JTG-Daugherty Racing and is currently twentieth in the Cup standings. He comes from a road course racing background with victories and championships in the wildly popular Australian V-8 Supercar series. But Ambrose doesn’t want to be known as a road race ringer; he wants to be considered an all-around NASCAR driver. This is his third year racing in NASCAR’s top tier series, starting in Trucks, moving up to Nationwide where he won the Watkins Glen race last year, and now Cup. Prior to starting the full time run in NASCAR, he tested for a couple of years with the Wood Brothers, honing his skills.

Forty-seven drivers were out in the Cup session, so four will not make the Sunday Toyota/Save Mart 350 race.

The session started out mostly sunny, and ended with more cloud cover and stronger winds. While the forecast was for high eighties, it was low seventies for the first Cup practice.

The road course Cup races always bring out drivers with road racing experience, mostly in extra cars, or in the case of PATRICK CARPENTIER, replacing the regular driver. MICHAEL WALTRIP, owner and driver of No.55 Toyota put Carpentier in his seat for the weekend. Carpentier was thirty-sixth fastest at the checkered flag.

Other one-off drivers this weekend are: CHRIS COOK/No.37 Dodge; RON FELLOWS/No.09 Chevrolet; TOM HUBERT/No.27 Toyota; P.J. JONES/No.04 Toyota – a second car for owner/driver ROBBY GORDON/No.7 Toyota; BORIS SAID/No.08 Ford and his business partner/longtime friend, BRIAN SIMO/No.36 Toyota. All but Carpentier will have to qualify based on speed. Carpentier is ensured of starting due to the team owner’s thirtieth place in the standings.

Cook was one of the drivers who coached the Cup drivers who tested at the track earlier in the week. Fellows, Jones, and Simo has often run the two Cup road course races. Simo’s twin brother, retired racer MARK SIMO (who also is a co-owner of Said’s car) said that this year Brian has his best ever chance to do well at Infineon. Simo is racing a brand new car from TOMMY BALDWIN, which was tested at Virginia International Raceway two weeks ago.

Occasional drivers include MAX PAPIS/No.13 Toyota, who is running 15 selected races with GEICO sponsorship, which is also backing PAUL TRACY for several races in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series.

DAVID GILLILAND/No.71 Chevrolet started out the season as an occasional driver with TRG, with the aim of making two races, depending on sponsorship. He didn’t qualify for the Daytona 500, but otherwise has continued to do well with TRG – a local team – and has run 14 of the 15 races he entered. He currently is thirty-seventh in the driver’s standings, meaning he still has to qualify each weekend based on his speed. Gilliland was sixteenth in practice.

This weekend the TRG car has local sponsorship including Adobe Winery, which is owned by team owner, KEVIN BUCKLER. Both the shop and winery are nearby in Petaluma. Buckler thinks the two businesses complement each other very well. This small winery in the heart of California’s wine country has an award-winning 2005 Zinfandel – it just won the Sonoma Harvest Festival for best wine, competing with 600 wineries and 1100 wines.