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NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers make the long cross-country haul out to Infineon Raceway in the beautiful Sonoma Valley in California this weekend for the running of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. This 1.99-mile road course snakes up and down hills, and features the Chute, a NASCAR modified bypass for turns 5 and 6 that changes it from a 12-turn to a 10-turn track. Drivers will encircle the course 110 times for 350 kilometers en route to the finish line.

As I see it, the following drivers have the best chance of pulling out a top finish this Sunday. I have compiled my list by analyzing drivers? success at the two road courses, Infineon and Watkins Glen, then throwing ol? momentum into the mix by factoring in the last month of racing.

TOP TIER LIST
1) #20 Tony Stewart
2) #24 Jeff Gordon
3) #99 Carl Edwards
4) #25 Casey Mears
5) #60 Boris Said
6) #12 Ryan Newman
7) #96 Ron Fellows
8) #7 Robby Gordon
9) #1 Martin Truex Jr.
10) #11 Denny Hamlin
11) #42 Juan Montoya
12) #8 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
13) #29 Kevin Harvick
14) #48 Jimmie Johnson
15) #2 Kurt Busch

The class of Infineon Raceway has to be Cup regulars Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. This race will be a special one for Stewart, who will make his 300th NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start Sunday, at a track he?s conquered twice in his career. In his 16 road course starts (including Watkins Glen), he has five wins, seven top-twos, 10 top-10s, has qualified within the first two rows nine times, and in the top-10 13 times. Stewart on Infineon: ?You?ve just got to have a good handling car. 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. 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. A lot can happen at Sonoma. You?ve got to be patient all day. You get a lot of cautions there and a lot of guys end up beating and banging on each other. 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.?

Infineon is a significant site for Jeff Gordon. Perhaps it?s the proximity to his birthplace ? Vallejo, Calif. ? or the wine country he enjoys, but you?ll rarely find Gordon far from the front at Infineon. For even greater significance, Gordon and wife Ingrid Vandebosch expect their first child this week, a daughter, while the father-to-be returns as Infineon?s defending race winner. He leads all drivers with five Infineon wins, holds the qualifying record, and leads all drivers with nine road-course wins (four at Watkins Glen). Mark Martin, who is running a part-time schedule this season with Ginn Racing, is on standby to sub for Gordon, pending the arrival of Baby Gordon.

SELECTED INFINEON HIGHLIGHTS

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet)
? Two wins, three top fives, four top 10s; one pole
? 10.5 average finish
? Average Running Position of 5.455, second-best
? Driver Rating of 119.1, second-best
? Series-high 39 Fastest Laps Run
? Fastest Green Flag Speed
? 207 Laps in the Top 15, third-most
? Series-high 67 Quality Passes

Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)
? Five wins, nine top fives, 10 top 10s; five poles
? 9.9 average finish
? Average Running Position of 11.582, fifth-best
? Driver Rating of 107.1, fourth-best
? 29 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
? 159 Laps in the Top 15, seventh-most

Boris Said (No. 60 Sobe No Fear Ford)
? Three top 10s; one pole
? 18.857 average finish
? Average Running Position of 9.132, fourth-best
? Driver Rating of 104.3, fifth-best
? Nine Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
? Third-fastest Green Flag Speed
? 191 Laps in the Top 15, fourth-most
? 48 Quality Passes, fourth-most

Ryan Newman (No. 12 Alltel Dodge)
? Two top fives, four top 10s
? 7.8 average finish
? Average Running Position of 5.923, third-best
? Driver Rating of 117.6, third-best
? Fourth-fastest Green Flag Speed
? 215 Laps in the Top 15, second-most
? 44 Quality Passes, tied for fifth-most

Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)
? Three top fives; one pole
? 16.5 average finish
? Series-best Average Running Position of 4.205
? Series-best Driver Rating of 121.1
? 12 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
? Second-fastest Green Flag Speed
? Series-high 217 Laps in the Top 15
? 44 Quality Passes, tied for fifth-most

Infineon Raceway Active Streaks
? Kurt Busch has started in the top 10 in five consecutive races.
? Ryan Newman has finished in the top 10 in four out of five races.
? Boris Said has finished in the top 10 in three of the last four races.
? Tony Stewart has finished in the top 10 in four of the last five races.

Road Course Ringers
? Brandon Ash will run his #02 Sprinter Trucking Inc Dodge.
? Ron Fellows will drive in place of Tony Raines in the #96 DLP Chevrolet for Hall of Fame Racing.
? Marc Goossens is scheduled to debut the #91 Riley-D’Hondt Motorsports Toyota.
? Klaus Graf will replace Mike Bliss in the #49 Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge for BAM Racing.
? P.J. Jones will drive in place of David Reutimann in the #00 Burger King Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing.
? Terry Labonte will sub for Michael Waltrip in the #55 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota.
? Butch Leitzinger will drive the #23 Caterpillar Racing Toyota for Bill Davis Racing.
? Boris Said will pilot his #60 Sobe No Fear Ford.
? Brian Simo will race in place of Kevin Lepage in the #37 Front Row Motorsports Dodge.
? Notably missing is road course ace Scott Pruett who has had many successful runs for Chip Ganassi Racing. Pruett has a scheduling conflict but will race at Watkins Glen in August.

Pulling Double Duty ? Milwaukee, WI (Saturday night Busch race) & Sonoma on Sunday
? Dave Blaney
? Carl Edwards
? Denny Hamlin
? David Ragan

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